Unforgettable Silhouette
by Yangu Fuyu
Summary: Volume 4 / Volume 5 AU. Ruby Rose along with her companion, Oscar Pine, returns to the Vytal Festival and unwillingly sparks an uproar, and helps prepare for the upcoming war on Salem, with all the confusion that surrounds time travel, they'll get through it and save them all.
1. Chapter 1

Unforgettable Silhouette

Volume 4 / Volume 5 AU. Ruby Rose along with her companion, Oscar Pine, returns to the Vytal Festival and unwillingly sparks an uproar, and helps prepare for the upcoming war on Salem, with all the confusion that surrounds time travel, they'll get through it and save them all.

/

* * *

/

 _ **A/N: There is kinda no explicit shipping, but it kinda looks like Rose Garden - can be looked without it, totally not intentional when starting. Don't ask how that happened, it just did!. I can see Oscar being extremely lenient with Ruby, and he is oblivious to it. Oscar is 14 in canon confirmed (4'8'' / 142 cm estimate.), while Ruby is 16/17 (5'2'' / 157 cm), others are according. This was written before the start of Volume 5. Some aspects have not been changed because Volume 5 came out. But damn was I right about Oscar's first words to Ruby!**_

 _ **Okay, so here RWBY FNDM, have this and don't hurt me? Cross-posted to Ao3  
**_

 _ **I apparently have a niche - its time travel fix-its. Seems like its the only thing I write now. This is what I was working on between my other two time-travelling fics and this seems to have an end written after 21000 words, so yay. Volume 3 hurt me. If you couldn't tell.**_

 _ **Confusion**_ is abound _ **because no one knows who Oscar is, and he's a little shit about it XD**_

 _ **Edited 03/11/2017 -  
attempt to fix formating issues for readability  
(No Beta)**_

/

* * *

/

 _What flower should I decorate myself with to stay alive in this world? I want to believe, but still can't manage it. My powerless and pointless self still embraces my heart. I can hear a voice calling to me, saying, "Come this way!" A limitless and reckless_ _tomorrow_ _will still be waiting for me somewhere. What song should I sing to fight my way through this world? If I wish to find it, I'll have to keep searching until I do. This freedom may be false and fruitless, but I still screamed my desire for it. There's surely a place that only you belong._

— _JUNNA_

Chapter 1

Before the wires could completely wrap around Penny a rapid-fire force tore them apart; piercing the arena floor between the two girls forcibly, yet unfortunately missing one last wire to rip straight through Penny's arm, the girl cried out in pain, the trauma sending her offline causing her now lifeless body to crumple to the arena floor.  
Pyrrha watched on in rising horror that froze her as the illusion dissipated around her, leaving a white and golden broadsword in-between the two girls went unnoticed by her.  
Questions about where the sword came from, what it was doing there, how it came to be were quickly put aside when the audio feed alongside a red and black queen chess piece crackled into life onto all video feeds.  
Cinder had started her attack on Beacon, or more specifically the people attending the Vytal Festival, no matter where they hailed from. One undisputed unspoken for sword was not going to deter her.

Cinder's words echoed around the stadium, bringing fear with them.  
"This is _not_ a tragedy. This is _not_ an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians but are, in reality, nothing more than _men_." She started, her voice angry but firm.  
Not much of her meaning was reaching Jaune, who was more worried about the two girls in the arena.  
"Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control _both_." Cinder raged.  
Ironwood, on the other hand, had stood up and was exiting his seat.  
"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference." Cinder advised the still stunned-fearful audience she had created. Neither Pyrrha or Penny had moved, Pyrrha because she was still horrified at her near actions, and Penny because she was still offline, seemingly dead to all eyes. "And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now _this_? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honour and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets." Cinder voiced, pondering, yet not caring as she stirred up emotions. "Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark." Cinder continued, forcefully to all who were listening and watching the feed.

./.

As Cinder stirred up stronger emotions in Beacon, in the arena, more and more Grimm became aware of those emotions and stormed the grounds, the soldiers left outnumbered.  
" _So, I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?_ " She questioned, then left them to stir up their emotions.  
Then came the alarm.  
And the threat level nine.  
And the ensuing chaos that came with it.

./.

A giant Nevermore came crashing down into the protective barrier, alarming more students.  
"A Nevermore?!" Sun asked.  
"How'd it get past the Kingdom's defences?" Coco frantically questioned.  
"It wasn't alone." Ren informed, sensing more than the one Grimm.

./.

The forgotten about broadsword in the arena started to hum, with air around it becoming more visibly tainted red. The Nevermore fought against the barrier, while the others Ren sensed attacked the airships, one being pirated by Neo and Roman, whereas the White Fang, led by Adam brought more Grimm into the school in a rage against all humans.

The split members of team RWBY fought to the best of their abilities, leaderless, powerless against the Grimm invasion, but not without the resolve to do what was right and not without their weapons.

./.

" _Warning, safety barrier failing._ " The automated voice carried out.  
Ruby stared at the floor beneath her with incomprehension to what had and what was still happening.  
Pyrrha finally had the ability to stand, yet none of Jaune's worried words could reach her, nor when he even got close to try and help her.  
The broadsword hummed violently.  
The Nevermore crashed through the barrier, knocking both Penny and Pyrrha aside like dolls.  
Before it could make its attack, Ruby flared in using Penny's sword.  
"Ruby…?" Pyrrha voiced in confusion.  
"Leave her alone!" Ruby cried, brandishing the sword.  
The Nevermore fell back against the forgotten yet metallic humming broadsword, causing it to erupt into a red cloud of petals that soon separated and rushed up to encircle the Grimm, and in a flash, beheaded it, before the rest of the remaining students could summon their weapons to help take it down.  
To stunned that the red petal cloud could perform such a beheading that quickly, quickly turning to Ruby for an explanation of why she hadn't done that sooner, but the girl looked just as astonished as they were.

/

* * *

/

That red cloud swirled down slowly until it reformed into two people.  
"This is not where I just was!" The redhead cried out in screechy-panic.  
"At least we're not dead." Muttered the boy on piggy-back ride.  
"Seriously. Not the point." The woman hissed.  
"Then what _is_? Because I like not being dead!" He hissed back.

The crowd stared in confusion.  
Two. There were _two Ruby's_.  
One with one of Penny's blades. The other, looking already battle-worn and carrying an already heavily battered and bruised Crescent Rose.  
"Where are we?" The Ruby with the passenger asked as she let said boy down off her back.  
" _We're where…?!_ " The boy hissed, seemingly to himself. "Miss Ruby Rose, we seem to be in the Vytal Festival Arena." He told her.  
She quickly turned to her partner. "Say what!?" She screeched in alarm.  
"There's two of you." He muttered.  
She yelped when she turned to see herself. "This is awkward!" She said.  
Ruby stared at herself, the more she stared the more she could see how warrior like the other was.  
"This is awesome!" She cried out in awe.  
The other gave her an amused glance, but took in her surroundings, as her partner wandered off to the side.  
She saw Penny and went over to her curiously. Her shadow followed.  
"Is she…?" She was questioned as she knelt down next to Penny.  
The other students came close, while Pyrrha held onto her tears, next to her teammates.  
"She'll be fine, luckily all she'll need is a reboot, and her arm will need fixing." Ruby said.  
"How do you know it'll be that simple?!" Her counterpart near on yelling.  
Elder-Ruby blinked at her, as if uncomprehending the need for the question, then looked as if she remembered the time where she was currently in and knew she wouldn't have had the know-how. "Because I've been around bio-synthetics a lot longer than you have." She told her.

./.

"Miss Ruby Rose," A voice called, both Ruby's looked over to see Elder-Ruby's partner by the broadsword.  
Elder-Ruby got up as if remembering. "We should see that Mister Jaune gets his sword back." He said.  
Jaune looked stumped over this.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "That's true. He'll be pissed if he doesn't get it back. We may have taken it without permission…" Elder-Ruby said, walking over to him.  
Jaune stared at the two, _excuse me_?  
"He did tell you how to fold it back, right?" He asked, nervously poking the sword with his hilted furled up weapon.  
Elder-Ruby laughed. "I was there when he made the design, as well as when it was created, remember?" She asked.  
He shook his head mutely. It hurt him to remind her that even though he had Ozpin in his head, there were many times when that either male hadn't always been in her life.  
Elder-Ruby shrugged and picked up the sword, seamlessly and effortlessly folding it back into its regular scabbard-shield and sword, placing it on her back upside Crescent Rose.

Elder-Ruby looked around herself again.  
"Vytal Festival… Vytal Festival…" She muttered, one hand up to her forehead.  
"Grimm attack. Beacon go bye-bye." Her companion reminded in a mimic.  
"Right!" She turned to the students. "All you guys need your weapons!" She ordered.  
It was an order that wasn't disputed. This girl-lady- _woman_ was definitely a huntress. One they were gonna follow.  
How the hell do you mention the theoretical fall of Beacon and expect no manning up?!

"Okay, so, back up! You're me, right?" Ruby asked after having borrowed Sun's Scroll to summon her scythe.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "Yep!" She said, looking up to the destroyed barrier, having only one ear on herself.  
"And you're from…?" She continued to ask.  
"About a year and a bit from now, maybe two, give or take." The boy voiced for her.  
She blinked at him. "And you are…?" She voiced in confusion.  
"I'm Oscar!" He said brightly.

./.

Above them came a pack of Griffins.  
"You better not die on me, 'else Oz is gonna kill me." Elder-Ruby told Oscar.  
He gave her a sour look. "Oz is laughing at you." He told her in retort.  
Elder-Ruby gave out a dry chuckle. "Of course he is…" She muttered.  
"Are we gonna do something about them, or…?" Jaune quickly piped up.  
They were all looking to the two Ruby's to give the orders. (Hell, if the older could do it, so could the younger…right?)  
One Griffin reared down and was shot down by Port. "Students! I think it would be best if you leave!" He told them.  
While Oobleck was more interested in the older Ruby. "I believe there is a story here to tell, miss Rose." He stated forlornly.  
Elder-Ruby blinked. "Oz! Can I tell them?!" She screeched slightly alarmed when she couldn't find Oscar when she searched for him.  
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ASKING ME?!" Oscar yelled back, repelling the one Griffin who decided to attack him, causing him to unfold his cane in response to being attacked, back-flipping while so.  
"Because you're the only one who can say no!" Elder-Ruby yelled back, using his voice to find him finally.  
The two professors stared at the boy, who was unmistakably _not_ Ozpin, yet using Ozpin's weapon.  
"A BIT BUSY HERE!" He continued to yell, fighting off another.  
"Oh, right." She muttered, and before any more could stop her, she burst into multi streams of red petals and attacked several Griffins at once, bringing them all down in seconds.

./.

"…What…?" Many voiced, some in confusion, some in awe.  
Not just Pyrrha was staring at Oscar and his familiar weapon as he folded it back up to its hilt, vanishing on his person and away from prying eyes.  
"Miss Ruby Rose, it might be best for them to leave…" Oscar voiced after he finished muttering to himself.  
Elder-Ruby just nodded and turned to the awed and confused students. "Alright! This area is going to soon be swarming with Grimm! I don't want to catch any of you here when you could be below fighting to save Beacon!" She ordered.  
"Beacon is in trouble?!" Nora among many yelled the loudest.  
Elder-Ruby nodded.  
"Let's take a ship down!" Jaune suggested, and with it, they started to run out.  
Ruby look to herself, seeing her nod, she rushed off with her friends.  
"If Oz lets me," Oscar herein gave her a rude hand gesture, which she saw and brightly ignored. "I'll tell you all I know when this is all over." Elder-Ruby told both Port and Oobleck. "Can I ask you two to stay here and man the fort? Make sure Penny and any injured get out safely?" She asked.  
They both nodded silently but readied themselves for the next lot of Grimm attack.

"You're too slow!" Elder-Ruby yelled and gathered Oscar back onto her back.  
Oscar grumbled against her as she rushed to get back to the students.  
"—I'm going to take it back!" Ironwood was telling them before he boarded his ship as Elder-Ruby and Oscar caught up.  
"We need to go after James!" Oscar said, pointing out, over Ruby's shoulder. Ruby looked to him up behind her and blinked at him in silence over the use of another unfamiliar name.  
Oscar blinked back. "James. Ironwood." Seeing the flash in her eyes, he knew he had the right name. " _Ironwood_! We need to go after Ironwood! He'll take us to Qrow!" He said hurriedly.  
Elder-Ruby nodded, now understanding who he was talking about. "These ships here will take you down!" She yelled before bursting into petals and rushed after Ironwood's flight-craft, to hang off it by her scythe.

./.

She was unable to prevent the robots from going red or taking the ship down with their explosion, and she was unable to help her younger self's blight against Neo and Roman though she knew that she could handle herself. She was sure she wanted a rematch with Cinder and her dragon.  
Ruby followed Ironwood out the wreck of the ship, as many petal streams helped him take care of the Knights in the area, not noticing the many confused looks when she came back to herself and let down Oscar.  
"Glynda!" He immediately said, happily.  
Glynda stared at the boy she did not know.  
Seeing the look, he groaned. "Sorry. You don't actually know me." He said. Ruby chuckled. "You're not helping!" He hissed.  
"It's funny." She told him.  
He shook his head. "It's really not." He replied sourly.

"It is a little. You kept going _"Silver Eyes! Silver Eyes!"_ when you first met me! I really had no idea what you were talking about." Ruby reminded him.  
"That's not—Hold still." He trailed off into a serious hiss, and before anyone could do or say anything, he unfurled his cane and whacked a Griffon that reared up behind Ironwood. "YOU MISSED, HOW COULD YOU MISS?!" He yelled.  
"I am not getting into Aura semantics with you!" Ruby shot back, sourly.  
"How the hell?" Qrow started, stalling his blade transformation.  
"Hey, Qrow!" Oscar said happily.  
"You are _way_ too happy." Ruby muttered.  
"Oz is laughing at you." Oscar told her.  
"Why do you feel the need to tell me this?" Ruby asked.  
"Because it's the only time he's not laughing at me?" Oscar said. " _Shut it, you do too_." He muttered to himself.  
"Okay, what?" Qrow demanded.

"I blame him." Ruby pointed to Oscar.  
Oscar pointed to his forehead. "I, too, also blame him." He informed.  
Ruby laughed. "You can't blame him for everything!" She said.  
"I can, and I will, and you can't stop me." He growled as his cane folded up and he placed it on his back, ignoring the stares he was getting.  
"Are you the one who is controlling my machines?!" Ironwood demanded.  
Both children stared at him, incredulously. "Hell no. That'll be Torchwick!" Ruby said.  
Ironwood sighed. "We need to establish a safe zone...I need to get to my ship…" Just then it decided to crash, disabling the Red mode.  
"That'll be my fault. My bad." Ruby apologised.  
"Maybe I should blame you for everything." Oscar muttered.  
She glared at him.

./.

Nervous about the stares he was getting, he shifted from one leg to the other.  
"…We probably should be getting to the tower…" Oscar started.  
"What? Why?" Glynda asked.  
"Um. Because Fall maiden gets shot. Cinder there. Get power. Miss Nikos— _Shut it! I'm saying this properly_!" Oscar railed off heatedly to himself.  
Ruby blinked in alarm. "Why didn't you say so sooner!" She rushed.  
"YOU DIDN'T ASK BEFORE! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW?!" He yelled in panic.  
"ARGH!" She screamed, and burst into petal streams, taking Oscar, Qrow and Glynda along with her, leaving Ironwood to his ship. Along the way, she collided with her descending self and ended up taking her along too.

Once they hit ground level, inside the Tower, Elder-Ruby fell to her knees and panted.  
"Miss Ruby Rose!" Oscar said, worriedly, once they all reformed. "Are you alright?" He asked.  
"Too many people." She panted.  
"Ruby!" Pyrrha's voice called frantic and questioning, coming upon them next to Jaune.  
Oscar gave out a concerned-worried noise and got to his feet. Up ahead fired up Cinder, in full stolen maiden power, fully focused on Ozpin in front of her.  
Elder-Ruby groaned and got back up as Oscar rushed off unfurling his cane as he went, only to slide down on his knees to knock her down by the back of her knees.  
Cinder gave out a surprised gasp as she went down, having been fully focused on Ozpin, and not expecting an attack from behind.  
"Now, Miss Rose!" Oscar yelled out, pinning Cinder's vital points as he went, stunning her momentarily, then got out of dodge quickly.  
Elder-Ruby quickly put a hand to the bridge of her nose, then held out that hand outwards to Cinder and a flash of concentrated silver light erupted from her, and shot out towards Cinder.  
"WHAT!?" The woman screamed out in pained panic, fleeing once she recognised she was getting injured.

Elder-Ruby just groaned and collapsed back to her knees.  
"Miss Rose!" Oscar called, coming back to her in a hurry.  
"Who the hell is this pipsqueak?" Qrow asked faintly.  
"I'll be fine…" She muttered as Ozpin came up to them in confusion, with many unvoiced questions.  
"Not to say you're not doing a very good job because you are, but, um. Grimm Dragon. Your teammates, didn't you say they were injured at the fall?" Oscar pressed on, ignoring the adults around him and focusing on the Ruby he came here with.  
The mention of her former teammates made her flinch, and she attempted to stand, seeing such, Oscar unfurled his cane, and offered it to her to help, still ignoring the many looks he was getting.  
Elder-Ruby looked from him to the cane in question several times.  
Oscar snorted. "Oz says it's fine." He grumbled.

./.

Elder-Ruby was once again standing, quickly giving Oscar his weapon back, uneasy as she was with the weapon and used his shoulder instead.  
"Did Miss Blake ever tell you where she and Miss Yang were injured?" Oscar asked as Elder-Ruby started out the Tower, the adults (and other children) following in silence, once he took his cane and furled it back up, most watched on that the boy hid the hilt on his belt buckle on his back point which was how it became completely hidden once his shirt covered it. What only some saw in recognition was that the position mirrored and complemented Ruby's.

Elder-Ruby nodded. "I'll hopefully get there in time." She muttered.  
"To give a hand?" Oscar asked as they got back outside.  
Elder-Ruby snorted. "That was in terrible taste." She told him.  
Oscar shrugged. "Miss Yang does it all the time." He reminded.  
Elder-Ruby snorted. "Yeah, and punches anyone else who says it, too." She said.  
Oscar flinched. "Good point. Will you need my help?" He asked.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "Most likely, I'm not supposed to leave you alone anyway…" She trailed off.  
"I'm not alone, though…?" Oscar asked. Technically, he never was anymore.  
"True, but Uncle Qrow did say not to leave you by yourself before flying away to whack Raven around a little. I don't think time travel counts?" Elder-Ruby asked.  
The adults looked beyond confused, alarmed and puzzled at the same time, while the other children had well past decided whatever came out of their mouths would just confuse them.

/

* * *

/

Oscar shrugged, made sure his cane was put over his back and under both his shoulder blades before acquiescing to being pulled up onto Elder-Ruby's back, carefully placing his feet between the two stored weapons as one would use for a point for his feet, so he wouldn't fall off at her higher speeds. He had learnt from early on, that when Ruby gave him a ride (out of all the people they currently knew, he was deemed the one that was slower than the rest), was to hold onto her, and try and keep up with her constant momentum and movements in any way how, Oscar learnt from many piggyback rides where to place his feet (he, of course, asked to place his feet on Crescent Rose the first time he thought to put his feet there, and not hang off her like a limpet, as it slowed her down in battle, as well as his dismount time when he needed to fight alongside her). Oscar learnt along the way how to not hurt her in the process. Something that Oscar was always against in doing, was, naturally, hurting her.

./.

Ruby looked to herself and Jaune. "I demand a counting match," and was off into a petal stream.  
" _What the **hell**_?!" Many yelled after them but seeing the many Grimm around, it was once again being put out of their minds to keep their school safe.

./.

Seeing Adam, she slowed, trying to find where Blake was (on the floor, in terror), and where Yang was, (by the window, in rising rage).  
"Starting with her!" Adam started.  
"Get away from her!" Yang yelled.  
Before Adam could bring his blade down, Ruby dropped Oscar, whose cane clashed with Adam's katana sliding it away from personal danger as she picked up Blake to swarm around the building to pick up a confused Yang, a defending Oscar, leaving a perplexed anger-filled Adam behind to his own devices.

./.

She dropped them back with the group she left with.  
"Ruby!" Yang yelled seeing her sister and hugged her life out of her.  
"Yang!" Her sister replied happily.  
Elder-Ruby reformed with Oscar, causing Blake and Yang to stare.  
"There are two of you…" Blake breathed.  
"Gods damn it! There are Grimm around!" Oscar yelled, pointing outwards, brandishing his cane, and whacking the nearest Grimm out.  
Elder-Ruby dispersed into several petal streams taking out several Grimm at the same time, only reappearing several times when she changed her scythe's position.  
"This is awesome!" Yang heard her sister yell before she too joined the fray.  
"And you Miss Kitty Cat!" Yelled a reforming Elder-Ruby in mid-air. Blake flinched. "Don't you dare think of running off! I spent months by myself when you ran all the way back to Menagerie! I _do not_ need to be chasing you!" Elder-Ruby yelled, before reforming and taking down another Grimm.  
Severely told off, Blake joined the fray alongside Yang.

./.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled out seeing her leader.  
"Weiss!" Ruby yelled back, hugging the heiress.  
"NOT THE TIME!" Oscar yelled, having to cover them.  
"Sorry!" Ruby yelled back to the boy she wasn't – yet will be? – familiar with.  
Oscar pinned the Grimm near them and went onto the next.  
"Sixty-eight!" He yelled, apparently to the air.  
"One hundred and five!" A reformed Elder-Ruby crowed back.  
Oscar stalled, and glared up at her as she floated above him. "Screw you!" He yelled up to her, good-naturedly.  
She laughed and streamed away again, taking out several Grimm as she did.  
"I will understand this sooner or later." Yang muttered.  
Weiss just stared.  
"I know! It's awesome!" The Ruby next to her said happily, as she took out another Grimm.  
"I think you mean tiresome, you dolt!" Weiss shouted.  
They heard the wind laughing at them.

The ground shook.  
"Miss Ruby Rose!" Oscar yelled frantically upwards.  
The rose petals back-tracked and Ruby reformed next to him. "'Sup?" She asked.  
"Dragon?" He muttered as the Grimm Dragon wounded up the tower.  
"SHIT!" She cursed and erupted into petal streams that raced up to the dragon.  
"Cursing!" Yang yelled, a little surprised to hear her curse.  
She wasn't fast enough to stop the tower from falling.  
"Damn." Oscar muttered, but was quickly side-tracked by nearby forming Grimm, pinned the nearest one, got out of dodge quickly, and went for the next.

./.

Elder-Ruby dropped down next to Oscar.  
"I couldn't stop the tower from falling…" Elder-Ruby told him, emotionally caught up in her own memories.  
"No, but we have been able to change several other things. What can you do about the dragon?" Oscar asked, seemingly older than his youth.  
"Aside from freezing it like last time? Not much." Elder-Ruby told him, sniper shooting Grimm around her, helping out her previous teammates, trusting Oscar to whack any nearby Grimm she missed as they talked.  
Oscar sighed. "Then that is all we can do." Oscar told her.  
She looked to him. "And is that truly okay?" She asked.  
"While it does make Beacon inaccessible for the unforeseeable future, even where we came from we were still trying to figure out how to battle it, as well as what could have been done differently. We could think of none other." He told her gravely.

Elder-Ruby nodded and hooked her scythe around herself to propel herself up on top of a banner sign. "Listen up!" She started yelling, people barely paused in their fighting but were aware she was yelling at them. "Big baddie Grimm Dragon is going down! You all need to get out of dodge!" She yelled. Immediately people fought, jumped, flipped evasively to get further away from the broken tower. "Head towards Beacon's evacuation point! OSCAR THAT MEANS YOU TOO!" She continued, then used her scythe to help propel herself up the shattered tower, and didn't hear Oscar cursing her.

./.

Oscar was used to the stares, so he easily ignored them as he winded through the many fighting huntsmen and huntresses', pinning the Grimm down at their vital points, making it easier for his fellows to dispatch them, then getting out of dodge and carrying onto the next nearest Grimm. While so, however, he kept an eye out for red rose petals, maybe it was because even though he hadn't been with Ruby long, he had grown attached to her, possibly because Ozpin knew her, and they were both worried for her well-being. He hadn't had friends before, so perhaps that was what Ruby was. Since no one else he knew with Ozpin's memories came close to the attachment he formed for her.  
He'd need to ask.  
And possibly apologise.

"Miss Yang!" He yelled, weaving around her, as he had done many times before, using his cane he pinned her foe, harming it and freezing it in place for her, then got out of dodge as she came thundering down on top of it.  
"Thanks, whoever you are!" She yelled back, happily, before aiming for her next target, making sure to make her way to the evacuation point as she went.

/

* * *

/

Seeing an eruption burst of bright light, Oscar yelped. "Move it! Move it! Move it!" He yelled, and seeing a boulder, he bolted for it, ducked and covered, whacking anyone in his way to make sure they ducked and covered too.  
Once the light dispersed, he sighed and rolled out of his crouch to stand up, looking back to the tower to see the frozen Dragon, like he had seen from Ozpin's memories.  
A hand came down on his head, causing him to yelp, duck and automatically look up.  
Only to see a confused Qrow.  
"Oh, hey, Qrow!" He said happily, turning back to the tower, in hopes to see red petals gliding his way.

"And who are you, pipsqueak?" He asked, knowing that all the nearby Grimm had bolted seeing the white light, there was no immediate need to fight.  
"I'm Oscar!" Oscar introduced, grinning when he could almost see the exasperated expression on Qrow's face, as his name did not help him _at all_. "So, we don't have long before the Grimm come back in hoards, it might be best to leave Beacon." Oscar steamrolled into saying.  
He wasn't about to say he gained satisfaction from Qrow's puzzlement for the time being.  
He just turned back to the tower, anxiously waiting for Ruby to come back.

./.

He found it weird to see Ozpin physically, as well as still hear him in his mind, so for the sake of not gaining a headache in the foreseeable future, he avoided him for the time being, and made sure to slip under Qrow's radar until Ruby came back. There were only teams RWBY, JNPR, few sole injured people and their teachers left awaiting their evacuation ship.  
Because of this, he found himself grouped with Ruby's two teams she had worked with over the course of her career as a huntress, with only one he had never seen with his own eyes.  
Pyrrha must have noticed his curiousness at her.  
"Hello…?" She started, uncertain.  
Oscar blinked, and fought down his embarrassment at being caught. "I apologise Miss Nikos, I haven't met you in person before." He told her, truthfully, sounding yet again, older than what he looked.  
Everyone listening was confused.

"You know us?" Weiss asked.  
Oscar turned to her and nodded. "I do, Miss Weiss!" He said. "Although some of you look a little different from when I first met you in person, you are the same people from my memories, though." Oscar told them.  
Nora cocked her head. "Huh?" She voiced for them all.  
Oscar blinked. "Well, like Miss Ruby Rose," herein Ruby blinked and pointed to herself as if she needed confirmation he was talking about her. "The Miss Ruby I came with is the one I met personally, but I have previous memories of her looking like how she is in front of me." Oscar tried to explain.  
From the frowns, he gathered he didn't do a very good job at explaining. He sighed, he was used to this being explained to _him_ , not the other way around! And without Ruby, he wasn't going to try. He would just confuse them.

"How do you know Ruby, anyway?" Blake asked Oscar, turned to her and immediately blanched. "What?" She said defensively, crossing her arms.  
Oscar blinked and shook his head. "I apologise Miss Blake, I am not used to seeing you with the hair bow," they all blinked, and he shrugged. "But I remember it. Anyway! I know Miss Ruby Rose because, at current, she is protecting me on Qrow's orders because of a dispute with Raven over Spring." Oscar stalled with a mild blink, turning to Yang. "And that wasn't permission for you to leave." He growled, again older than what he looked. Yang just blinked at him in non-understanding.

./.

They all jumped when Oscar automatically yelped when Qrow's hand thumped down on his head.  
"There you are, pipsqueak!" He said triumphantly, having spent the past ten minutes trying to find him.  
"…I need to remember that too…" Oscar grumbled, but they all heard, he then looked up to Qrow, with a pleading expression. "Can you please wait until Miss Ruby Rose comes back, please?" He asked.  
Qrow blinked at him, but for some reason, stood down. "Sure. But, I've got my eye on you, so you don't bolt on explaining again, pipsqueak." He told him.  
Oscar glared. "Again. Again, with the pipsqueak! I thought we were over the pipsqueak thing!" He growled.

He snapped out of it, seeing rose petals. "Miss Ruby Rose!" He yelled.  
Only a second later, Elder-Ruby reformed, and collapsed to her knees, panting. "Damn, that was just as hard as the first time." She muttered.  
Oscar rushed and slid to his knees in front of her. "You okay?" He asked, in concern, taking hold of her shoulders, should she faint.  
Elder-Ruby looked at him and smiled. "I'll be alright. I didn't collapse this time!" She celebrated.  
Oscar got back up and pulled her up along with him. "Don't leave me alone, there are two of them." He whispered. "And it's starting to get _weird_." He told her.  
She grinned. "Now you know how I feel!" She said, happily.

./.

The next ship came, big enough that no one was left behind.  
Elder-Ruby leant back against her seat, looking around curiously.  
Oscar nudged her with his elbow. "What's up?" He asked, noting everyone listening in, in annoyance.  
"I was unconscious the first time, so I don't know what happens here." She told him.  
Oscar shrugged. "Same boat. Cinder flamed Ozpin, so he has no memories after that." He told her.  
Elder-Ruby snorted. "Yeah, that doesn't help." She said sarcastically.  
Oscar chuckled, and took in the confused expression around the room.

In her covering the entire populace of the ship (ignoring the stares), she had noticed that either Port or Oobleck had brought Penny with them, (and her arm).  
"Whelp," She started and got up.  
"Miss Ruby Rose?" Oscar sounded out first, mentally panicking that she was moving away.  
"I'll go fix Penny. She'll have to wake up on her own, though. I can't fix that. That part is beyond me." She told him.  
Oscar nodded and got up to assist, familiar with his Ruby's know-how with her way around bio-synthetics.  
Everyone _else_ , on the other hand… Straightened up that little bit more to see.

./.

Elder-Ruby settled down heavily next to Penny's offline body cross-legged, while Oscar slid down the glass wall near her.  
They watched as she unbuckled her previously unseen backpack from under her tattered and war-torn cloak. She laid out several items that even a curious Ironwood took note of.  
They were all a curious colour of yellow and black, (and not the red and black many thought they would be since they came from _her_ possession).  
"Miss Yang won't mind?" Oscar asked, curiously.  
Ruby shrugged, politely not saying anything for the time being seeing as she held one device between her teeth, while her hands worked to set the arm back in its rightful place and alignment.  
Oscar sighed while rolling his eyes, only to take the device from her mouth.  
She flashed him a smile of thanks as she peeled back Penny's torn sleeve to see the wound more closely, her hand flitting over her tools until she came across the one she wanted, which she fitted over one eye like one would a microscope lens and lent a little bit more forward.

Oscar noted that everyone else edged a little closer as well as he handed her the device she had held between her teeth. She took it from him, pointing it to the ripped point she held at an odd angle, when she pressed the device on, it emitted a hum and a beam outwards pointing to the fixture of Penny's broken arm.  
They watched with odd familiarity as a concentrating Ruby poked her tongue out as a sign of her commitment and focus on her work.  
She set down the device quickly, not minding that it rolled away, as she picked up another.  
They all noted that the device had the script of _property of Xiao Long, Yang_ on its handle uneasily.

"Hmm…" Elder-Ruby noted, cocking her head, as she notched Penny's joint tapping as she went, going between devices.  
They watched as she leaned closer as she moved the arm back and forth, listening intently to the joints working, she brought her self away and worked her thumbs down the joint watching for kinks and autonomous actions in Penny's fingers, noting that her digits moved automatically when pressure points were pressed.  
Satisfied, she brought up another device over the fixture, that opened up like a scroll some kind of inner vision to see the workings under the newly regenerated skin, Ruby moved the scroll around as if searching for any fault in her own work, or something she missed.

"Did you miss something?" Oscar asked.  
Ruby clicked the device off, and lifted the one over her eye, with it she shook her head. "I must have done this enough times with Yang." She answered.  
Oscar notched his head. "It does help that she doesn't let anyone else work on her arm." He told her.  
Ruby chuckled. "That is true." She said, happily.

/

* * *

/

Yang, who finally had enough of not understanding, of her name being mentioned, having no idea _why_ , had stood up from her seat, and picked up the device that had her name on it.  
"Okay. What?" She started.  
Everyone noted that Elder-Ruby flinched then hissed out at getting sneaked up on.  
"I'm normally better than that!" She hissed.  
Oscar looked to her. "Are you okay? You tired?" Oscar steamrolled into asking.  
"Using my powers twice has always been the limit, but using it on the Grimm Dragon and Cinder was overkill." Elder-Ruby muttered.  
Oscar nodded as if he understood. "You need rest." He told her.  
"Yeah. When I'm allowed to." She muttered, noting that Yang was getting annoyed she quickly gathered up the other tools and snatched the one Yang had at the same time to stow them away from prying eyes.  
Yang blinked at her, then crossed her arms in annoyance.

./.

Elder-Ruby only sighed tiredly.  
"We have changed a few things by being here," Oscar started.  
Elder-Ruby could have kissed the boy right there and then for starting to explain things for her.  
The whole room looked to each other. "Really?" Most said, curiously.  
They both nodded. "One of them being that because of the Fall of Beacon Miss Yang had lost her arm." Oscar informed sadly.  
Yang blinked, one arm coming up to the other in protective horror. Ruby noted Blake's flinch.  
"That guy that went after Blake?" Yang questioned, angrily.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "He is one of the White Fang, he has a violent past history with Blake, that even I'm not fully knowledgeable of the entire story. Blake was crying at the time when she apologised." Elder-Ruby told her.  
Yang crouched down curiously to her sister that apparently now knew time travel as Ruby buckled her backpack back up under her cloak.

Weiss was frowning to her teammate who was hiding her face. "Why?" She questioned.  
"Probably because she ran off to Menagerie." Elder-Ruby said, shrugging.  
"More like because she feared Miss Yang would hate her because it was Adam who did it." Oscar put forth, looking at Elder-Ruby oddly.  
Elder-Ruby stretched her arms upwards. "That too." She put forth truthfully.  
Yang blinked from Ruby, then searched for her Faunus teammate, who had hidden her face. "Huh. What happened? Did we meet up again from where you're from?" Yang asked curiously, not taking her eyes off Blake.

Elder-Ruby nodded. "Yeah, you did. Blake apologised for leaving, she said she left because she believed she was protecting us from her bad luck." Elder-Ruby then gave out a long-suffered groan. "—Ugh. You're just like Uncle Qrow, Blake!" She called, a little irritated.  
"Whoa, hey, why're you bring me into this?!" Qrow asked, stunned.  
Elder-Ruby rolled her eyes. "Because part of your semblance is attracting bad luck? Duh." She said Oscar snorted in laughter.  
Qrow actually looked stunned that his niece knew about his semblance. "How…?" He asked, blinking.

"How do I know…?" Elder-Ruby started, he nodded. "That would be when we were on our way to Haven. On our way through Oniyuri," Only Elder-Ruby saw Ren flinch making her start to ramble faster. "Tyrian had finally caught up to us, by orders of Salem to take me back with him, _you_ ended up getting poisoned from his stinger—"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _whoa_ , **_whoa_**!" Oscar near on yelled, grasping her shoulders and making her look to him while Ozpin wasn't the only professor to stand up in the same alarm.  
"You never told me this!" Oscar near yelled.  
Elder-Ruby reared in surprise. "Uh. You never asked?" She questioned, alarmed at her companion being angry. She had never seen him angry before.

"Yes, I did!" Oscar smouldered. "Several times! I asked what happened between your time from when you woke up in Patch to you meeting at Mistral! You never mentioned Qrow got hurt! or that Tyrian had found you! or Salem knew about you!" Oscar ranted angrily.  
Elder-Ruby blinked at him stunned. "…Your Ozpin is showing." She told him, uneasily.  
He stood up. "Don't care!" he said angrily.  
She quickly followed to stand in equal alarm as Yang backed away just as quickly and wisely.  
"I thought Qrow had told you…" Elder-Ruby muttered.  
Oscar shook his head. "No! And I'll whack him one for not telling me when I get back! This is serious, Ruby!" Oscar told her.

Ruby knew it was serious when he used her first name only. "I know this is serious. I know who Salem is, Oscar." Elder-Ruby told him gently, trying to get him to calm down.  
It didn't work as the youth started pacing, subconsciously and automatically unfurling his cane, whacking air angrily as he went, hissing to himself.  
Elder-Ruby stood aside her companion as she watched nervously, her arms up as if she wanted to placate him, but wasn't sure how, or if it would be welcomed presently. She had never seen Oscar angry, she had no idea the boy _could_ get angry.

Oscar seemed to come to a conclusion with himself and turned back to her.  
"What else do we _not_ know about? Start from the Fall of Beacon, _and leave nothing out_!" Oscar ordered in a hiss.  
How such a youth could order her around, most had no clue. When she hesitated, he brought his cane down in an arch beside himself , making the air sound out around him harshly, she quickly complied.

./.

Elder-Ruby slid back down the glass panelling on the ship, to sit down, looking as if she bore the weight of the world, Oscar, on the other hand, did not move, too keyed up to move, in two mind-frames: one to get information, the other trying to get himself to calm down, because he could see she was frightened.  
"How far back do you want me to go? Penny being killed?" Elder-Ruby asked, not noticing everyone aside from Oscar flinched at the change.  
Oscar just nodded.  
"Because of Emerald's semblance, it caused Pyrrha to perceive more than just Penny's usual number of blades," Herein Pyrrha flinched. "Penny's death caused the more heightened emotions that Cinder used to attract all nearby Grimm into Beacon and nearby areas. The battle for Beacon started there." Elder-Ruby started.

./.

Oscar nodded following along. "That was where Oz asked Pyrrha to be Fall, and Cinder became Fall instead. Oz fell." Oscar mimicked.  
"I heard that later, but that happened then." Elder-Ruby nodded. Oscar made a motion for her to continue. "It would have been around the same time that Adam felled Blake and Yang, the same time Grimm Dragon was let loose. I was with Weiss when I got the call from Jaune saying Pyrrha had gone up against Cinder alone—"  
"She did _WHAT_?! I told her not to!" Oscar burst out angrily, sending a quick glare out to Pyrrha, who flinched, albeit in confusion, before returning his attention back to Elder-Ruby. It wasn't lost on the professor's his use of pronouns.  
Elder-Ruby flinched away from him, not remotely used to seeing or hearing Oscar, or hearing Ozpin through him so angry as they had been in the past five minutes. Seeing her rear away, he breathed. "I apologise." He muttered. No matter how angry he was, he never wanted Ruby to be scared of him. It hurt too much to think she could be.

./.

She nodded wearily. "Weiss and I tried to make our way to the broken tower, Weiss used her glyphs, like the time she did in our initiation," Oscar nodded along as if he understood the reference she gave him for comparison.  
Before she could continue, the pilot announced their descent into Vale, wherein they would have a safe place to sleep for the night before making their next moves.

Oscar noted that Elder-Ruby was pushing away tears. "Perhaps you can continue tomorrow…" He offered, trying to console her with how harsh he had been.  
Elder-Ruby nodded and sniffed. She knew that Oscar needed to know, but it wasn't just him that needed to know, her two teams, as well as her teachers, needed to know so they could steel themselves for what was to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary** : Feat Ruby and " _Little Cute Boy Ozpin_ " realise that time-travel is actually not all that it's cracked up to be when Oscar kinda won't be Oscar anymore when you change things.

/

* * *

/  
 **A/N** : This isn't beta'd, all mistakes are mine.

I've tried to add in more instances so it's easier to read, let me know if it's worked.

I'm still kinda amazed at how much I've gotten right so far. So whoop for that. I think I got how long they would have at Haven before fighting a little off but...eh. Let's just go with it, and see how it works out, it's kinda AU by now anyway.

 ** _Edited 05/11/2017 -  
Attempt to fix formatting issues for readability  
(No Beta)_**

/

* * *

/

 _Here we are, at the end of the road – a road that's quietly caving in. Come too far to pretend that we don't – we don't miss where we started. Looking back, I see a setting sun and watch my shadow fade into the floor. I am left, standing on the edge, wondering how we got this far. They left us alone, the kids in the dark, to burn out forever, or light up a spark. We come together, we'll never surrender. Here we are at the top of the hill – a hill that's quietly crumbling. Been a while since you dressed for the kill – the kill that sent me tumbling. Looking up, I see a falling star and watch its fire burn into the floor. I am left standing on the edge, wondering why we fall so hard.  
— All Time Low_

Chapter 2

Elder-Ruby had clammed up once she had permission to continue the next day.  
 _Please leave her alone, we were too hard on her today_. Oscar had mimicked. _We will not be going anywhere tomorrow._ He had told them.  
Ozpin seemed the only one who ironically understood, and he too followed Oscar's sentiments about leaving Ruby alone.

./.

Both team RWBY and team JNPR, with their teachers off to the side, come that morning had found both Elder-Ruby and Oscar in the hall the evacuees were currently using as the cafeteria.  
They had pushed aside a several tables and chairs haphazardly together and to one side to make space to spar.  
"No. No. No." Elder-Ruby was saying, and she came over to Oscar to correct his stance, "There," she started, nudging his one foot forward, "and there," she nudged his back straighter by playfully tugging up at his shirt collar.  
"Don't forget to put your front foot forward!" Elder-Ruby told her companion.  
"You, Mister Jaune and Miss Nikos make this look _easy_!" Oscar groaned.  
"Well, you can't always rely on Oz to help you, or your semblance, Yang found that out the hard way, remember? And Jaune learnt by having insomnia after the Fall, and with one video on repeat _for months_. So, if he can do it, so can you!" Elder-Ruby told him, unaware of their audience.  
Oscar just groaned.  
Elder-Ruby stepped back out of his space, turning around she brought up, not her scythe, but Jaune's modified Crocea Mors but left it in its scabbard position.  
"You're going to make me black and blue Miss Ruby Rose." He muttered but readied himself.

They watched as Elder-Ruby danced around Oscar, bring down her modified sword for Oscar to practice against, Oscar fluently blocked with his cane, getting out of dodge quickly when he couldn't retaliate, or couldn't move fast enough to counter.  
He went to pin her nervously, but to his gratitude, she zipped out the way, so he wasn't able to hurt her.  
He hissed at himself and bolted after her.  
She laughed at him, then in a move had Crocea Mors at his throat.  
Oscar made a scattered pitched noise of surprise and alarm that she had gotten him.

Elder-Ruby smiled politely and put away her borrowed sword. "Okay now practice using your semblance." She told him.  
Everyone watched as he immediately stalled, and urgently shook his head, furling up his cane fast in panic.  
She smiled at him patiently.  
"I'll hurt you." He muttered, but loud enough for them to hear.  
He had a point, he could take down Grimm using his semblance, _his_ _cane_ , he wasn't about to put Elder-Ruby in harm's way, him getting better be damned if it came to harming her well-being!  
Ruby notched her head in thought, then nodded. "Well, we can't let that get in the way. Oz may be used to it, but you are not. You need the body you have present to know the reflexes it needs."  
"You're quoting both Qrow _and_ James at me, I hope you know." Oscar groaned.  
Elder-Ruby chuckled but nodded. "In any way, you need to come at me like you want to strike me." Elder-Ruby told him.

He still reared in alarm at the thought. "I very much wouldn't like to do that Miss Ruby Rose." He told her fearfully.  
Elder-Ruby looked thoughtful. "It's not like I can get Oz to teach you, he's in your head—" Then saw they had an audience staring at them in awe. Elder-Ruby brightened considerably. "Professor Ozpin!" She near shouted and raced up to him.  
She ignored the "Oh gods, now there's _two_ of them – _shut it, you're not helping_!" from Oscar.  
"Can I borrow your cane?" She asked, bouncing on her toes happily. "Promise to give it back!"  
He just blinked, but relented, she raced back to Oscar.  
"On guard!" She yelled happily.  
It was only then Oscar relented to spar properly.

They watched as Oscar became more and more like a blur in time, aiming to hit Elder-Ruby, but never quite managing to land a proper hit on her, only her weapon. She never once went for him.  
They quickly realised she was getting him to practice. She was probably the only one fast enough to be able to dodge his fatal pins, they had seen more than once the previous day had taken down Grimm, or helped down one.  
One cane went flying back towards Ozpin as Elder-Ruby tossed it back, twirling around to reach her borrowed sword only to switch to its broadsword and with a flick, sent Oscar backwards, making him use preventative measures and slammed his cane into the ground to save himself.  
"Woohoo!" Elder-Ruby immediately celebrated, throwing up her hands and jumping up and down. She had wedged her borrowed sword-now-turned-shield into the ground, so she could have her hands free to do so. It's familiar golden inset shimmered in the rising sun.  
"I did it that time!" Oscar said happily, his shield coming down which had subconsciously been thrown up when he was thrown backwards.  
Elder-Ruby continued celebrating happily.

./.

"Are you hungry? I'm starving!" Elder-Ruby said Oscar nodded before she zipped away to the food tables at the other end of the hall, leaving her borrowed sword flared out in its shield mode where she wedged it. It glimmered in the sun innocently. While Oscar went about restoring the room to what it looked like before they moved everything about.  
"Impressive," Ironwood remarked as stoic as usual, yet hiding his confusion.  
Oscar turned to him, beaming. "Thanks, James!" Ironwood blinked at him, causing him to flinch. "Ironwood. Sorry, Ironwood." Oscar muttered, good feeling gone.  
Elder-Ruby appeared at Oscar's right, holding out a plate for him as she sat down. "You name calling people again?" She asked, easily picking up on Oscar's mode swings.  
Oscar nodded glumly. "It's hard." He mumbled.  
Elder-Ruby just nodded sympathetically.

"I suppose we should continue from last night…" Oscar started.  
Elder-Ruby just grumbled and pushed her half-eaten food away, suddenly losing all will to eat.  
This caused everyone else to perk up from their meals and regard their time travelling companions with more interest than previous.  
"Where even was I…?" Elder-Ruby asked.  
"You getting to the top of the tower," Oscar told her gently.  
Elder-Ruby blinked. "Right! You'll have to bear with me, that entire part is hazy, Cinder was there, Pyrrha too. Qrow told me the event awakened my silver eyes, freezing the Grimm Dragon, and making Cinder flee. I've hurt her badly, apparently. Maidens are harmed easily by silver eyes." Elder-Ruby told them.  
Oscar blinked, as if something didn't quite add up. "Wait, hold on, what happened to Miss Nikos…?" He asked.  
Elder-Ruby went silent.  
Therein came a heavy silence crossed them all.

They all watched as Elder-Ruby bore down her head, and tear droplets slammed onto the tabletop beneath her.  
"I couldn't get there fast enough. I wasn't able to…" She hissed through frantic breath.  
They watched in unbearable silence, Pyrrha herself looked away in guilt for causing her friend to be hurt because of her actions.  
Oscar rubbed her back, consolingly. "As much as I told her _not to_ , she knew what she was doing when she faced Cinder. She must have known she would have been no match. But she did it anyway, I cannot guess what Miss Nikos was thinking at the time, but she may have been thinking what I was, that even one person would be worth it if they could stop her." Oscar told her gently.  
Elder-Ruby sobbed. "She would have known…?" Elder-Ruby asked, quite forgetting where she was, or that she could, at the very least, ask Pyrrha in person.  
Oscar nodded.

Elder-Ruby cried. "She willingly left Jaune," her hands came up to try and stall her tears. "Nora and Ren…!" Her hands were of no good as she sobbed. "All of us!"  
But her words hit home with team JNPR, as the gold in Jaune's modified shield shimmered in the sun's glow as if it bore itself innocently on its wielder's memory.  
Oscar could only nod and continued to rub her back consoling. "She must have thought the pros were better than the cons if she could delay Cinder, even if it did cost her life." He told her.  
"Like you…?" Elder-Ruby asked. Oscar just nodded, even if a little unsettled. "But that's different!" She yanked her head up to look at him. "You can come back!" She insisted forcibly, making Oscar rear back in surprise. "Pyrrha, Penny, they can't!" She cried.  
Oscar blinked, but seeing her in such distress snatched her to him and held her close.  
"I apologise, Miss Rose," They all heard him mutter, watching that his eyes glowed a little weirdly, Elder-Ruby's arms folded around the boy and clutched him hard. "I can't change what you personally remember, but we have changed the past. Miss Poledina is not offline forever; Miss Nikos is not harmed like you remember. The version of you in this universe does not know that pain. Hopefully, never will." Oscar told her sagely.  
Elder-Ruby then pulled back to wipe her tears and nod.

/

* * *

/

Elder-Ruby straightened up, remembering where she was and looked around the room to see devastated eyes of her two teams.  
"There is more…" Oscar gently nudged.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "I'm not quite sure of the timeframe between me freezing the Dragon Grimm and waking up in Patch, but with the tower down, the entire system went down with it, as I'm sure that's still the same this time." Elder-Ruby watched as all the adults silently nodded. "Yang wasn't in a very good place at the time, she wouldn't be for a while," Elder-Ruby recalled, making Yang flinch. "Weiss was forcibly taken back home by her father," Weiss flinched. "Blake fled to Menagerie, fearing the whole situation was her fault." Elder-Ruby continued.  
Oscar notched his head. "Do you believe this?" He asked, curiously.  
Elder-Ruby, who her head resting on her upturn hand, shook her head. "It would be silly to blame Blake for the actions of another. It was not as if Blake had ordered Adam to strike them both down. It is not her fault that Adam decided to take his anger out on her and Yang because of their past together. All for it, I'm proud that Blake quit the White Fang in the first place when she had enough sense the faction had changed for the worse, had enough courage to face Adam again, to face us all again _and apologise_." Elder-Ruby motioned easily.

"How can you say that!" Blake was the one to interfere, standing up.  
Elder-Ruby blinked at her Faunus friend. "You were three seconds faster than last time," Ruby told her. "And before you pull the whole _I should have done more!_ bull-crap on me, know I've met Adam Taurus, I've fought him – I know he is manipulative, he's a devious tactician. But he's also a very big bully. You near on bolted again when you realised I got nicked on the leg by him. Yang had to sit on you to make you explain. Now, she doesn't have the extra strength here, but damn it I will make her sit on you again!" Elder-Ruby hissed.  
Blake flinched. "But why…?" She muttered.  
"Because you've protected us in times that have mattered, you told me you protected Yang after her arm was cut, with your own _self_ , Adam wasn't averse to attempting to slice your head off. You've returned when it mattered, when you choose to leave Menagerie with Sun, consented to come with me once you met up with me, Jaune, Nora and Ren. You explained _and apologised_ for leaving. I've never blamed you. Yang didn't either. Though she was pissed at you for leaving, she was never pissed that you _came_ _back_." Elder-Ruby told her truthfully.  
"Sun was with her?" Yang piped up.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "Blake described it more as stalking with good intentions." She told them.  
Blake snorted. "Of course he did..." She muttered, understanding her own words.

./.

"So, Blake came back. How about before that? You didn't say what happened between then and you leaving Patch." Oscar said, frustrated.  
Elder-Ruby blinked at him. "Sorry! I left Patch once I was stable enough with Jaune, Nora and Ren, heading to Haven. We had info that the enemy was there." Elder-Ruby told them, jolting those mentioned, and the adults marked down to talk to Lionheart about safety later.  
"They just up and went with you? No one stopped you?" Weiss asked.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "I wanted to help, so to Haven, I needed to go. I couldn't very well have dragged Yang along, she wouldn't leave her room. I asked Jaune if he wanted to come along, he consented, and both Nora and Ren came along too." Elder-Ruby told them, then snorted. "We were so unprepared." She muttered.

./.

This alarmed more than just Oscar. "What? Why? Why do you say that?" Oscar panicked.  
"You do realise I grew up on Patch, right? As in, on _an island_? Do you think I had any idea how long it would take to get to Haven from there? With the system down?!" Elder-Ruby asked.  
"…You…You walked…" Oscar said faintly.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "Don't worry, Yang scolded me for it later." Elder-Ruby told him brightly.  
"I'm about to scold you now!" Oscar hissed.  
"To be fair, we _were_ going to places we knew had airships, we just had to get there. But because of the blackout, there was no transport, outside of boats for public use. And even they weren't safe, Blake told me, she ran into a huge sea dragon! —Though, Oscar, you got to Mistral by train, didn't you?" Elder-Ruby insisted trailing off slightly.  
Oscar just groaned and waved her on to continue.

"On our way to Haven, we helped villages as we went along, house and board for local hunting, restocking or smithy," Elder-Ruby said, faintly with memory, and a nod to the broadsword. "Jaune had his changed with what was left of Miló and Akoúo̱," Elder-Ruby mentioned, making Jaune and Pyrrha flinch. "As I said previously, and you freaked out over, we did go through Oniyuri, where Tyrian found us, wanting to bring me back to Salem alive, when Qrow appeared out of freaking nowhere and took the hit, he ended up being poisoned because of it, but I managed to cut off his stinger causing him to flee." Elder-Ruby said.  
Qrow flinched hearing this.  
"I'm still annoyed I wasn't told this previously." Oscar stated.  
Elder-Ruby looked to him, nervously. "I swear Uncle Qrow told you! Seeing as you went to him first to get your cane!" She ranted in panic, fearing he was angry with her.  
"Breathe, Miss Ruby Rose, I am not angry with you." He intoned calmly.  
She breathed in several times in attempt to calm herself.

"Qrow was poisoned but he was able to tell us about Salem, the Maidens and the old religions that Oz told him about." Elder-Ruby told him, noting that the children looked confused, aside from Pyrrha who looked now only semi-confused. "You guys need to be the judge on whether or not you tell them. Jaune got pissed at Qrow, still might do, so brace yourselves _for that_." Elder-Ruby explained.  
Jaune looked to her. "What? Why?" He insisted.  
Elder-Ruby shrugged and motioned to Qrow and Ozpin. "Their choice, not mine." She reminded.  
"We will tell them later." Ozpin told her.  
She shrugged, but snorted when she felt Oscar flinch aside her.

"So, after Oniyuri, Uncle Qrow just got worse and worse, until he wasn't conscious most of the time, and we had to carry him. Since the stretcher wouldn't make it up the mountains we had to split up, Nora and Ren going through the mountains faster to find help, with Jaune and I going through Kuroyuri." Elder-Ruby stalled there, to let Ren and Nora flinch, and she gave them both an apologetic look.  
"Kuroyuri?" Weiss asked.  
"It was a village near Mistral," Elder-Ruby told her.  
They all caught on to the use of _was_.  
"However, us being there woke up the Grimm hoarding the lands, I think Ren called it the Nuckelavee…? If I said that wrong, I apologise, I was too busy trying to shoot it." Elder-Ruby told them.  
Oscar stared at her. "You took on that thing?!" He asked, incredulously. "It's a Grimm that is a monstrosity cross between a horse that has its rider growing out of it, and anyone's version of hell's nightmares." He paused, explaining seeing team RWBY's confusion.  
Elder-Ruby nodded and bounced up and down in her seat. "We beat it too!" She said happily.  
"Uh, _how_?!" Oscar asked, before anyone else.  
"It was hit and miss for a while, because it went after Qrow and everything Jaune suggested we do kinda didn't work because it would only change its pattern once we thought we had it down, as well as how heavily affected Ren and Nora were. But, we did manage to slam it down by taking out its stupid stretchy arms, Ren beheaded it with a dagger." Elder-Ruby replied, trying to give information, but also being polite to Ren and Nora's history.  
It was not a story for her to tell.

/

* * *

/

On that note, she looked across to them, and they were staring at her in awe.  
"It was then the ships came from Mistral and took us there. Qrow got better. I met a boy who near on shouted my eye colour at me." Elder-Ruby continued, laughing at Oscar.  
"That was one time, damn it!" Oscar hissed back.  
"Once was enough! I cracked up!" Ruby said, laughing at her companion.  
She worsened when he crossed his arms, and pouted. " _You're not helping_." He hissed to himself.

"Okay, so hold up," Qrow was the first to start. "We're actually saying the pipsqueak here is actually Oz?" He asked for confirmation.  
"I should throw my cane at you." Oscar hissed. " _Stop laughing_!" He hissed to himself.  
Elder-Ruby snorted, but shrugged. "You were the one that kinda gave him Oz's cane." Elder-Ruby told him.  
"I asked for it back, damn it." Oscar pouted.  
"You're acting like a kid." Elder-Ruby told him in surprise.  
Oscar looked at her. "Uh, heads up, I am a kid?" He asked while blinking.  
Elder-Ruby blinked back. "Right. I forget sometimes."  
Oscar just groaned at her, and whacked her with his cane's hilt.  
She yelped. "You just hit me with a freaking relic!" She yelped.  
"I'll do it again, too!" Oscar hissed, raising his folded cane's hilt, Elder-Ruby yelped and burst into petals that raced up to the rafters, in playful fear.

They all stared up at the huntress who was clinging to the rafters.  
Oscar rolled his eyes. "Get back down here, you're not finished." He said loudly.  
She shook her head. "No more hitting!" She yelled back.  
Oscar just sighed. "No more hitting. Get your butt back down here, I'm not explaining this by myself." He told her.  
She happily nodded and reappeared next to him in a second flat.  
"You've gotten faster." Weiss muttered, and Ruby looked to her teammate proudly.

./.

"Okay, so Yang and Blake followed you up to Haven. What about future me?" Weiss asked, curious as to why she had been left out.  
They all watched as Oscar stalled, then lent and whispered something they didn't hear, but Elder-Ruby turned to him and nodded. "She is, currently." She replied.  
"Oh…" Oscar responded. "Will she understand?" He asked.  
"I'll explain as much as I know!" Elder-Ruby said happily.  
"Weiss did come back, as well. She told me as we fought invading Grimm together that she had to pay her way out of Atlas, after she fled." Elder-Ruby started.

Yang and Blake stood up in surprise. "She did what?!" They yelled in surprise.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "She did." She commented.  
"Woohoo! Go, Weiss!" Yang celebrated.  
"Why is this a good thing?!" Weiss asked in a panic, then turned to Elder-Ruby. "Why did that happen?" She asked.  
Elder-Ruby had her head leaning back on her palm again, her other hand coming up to rub her eye as if it bore her pain, only for Oscar to gently pry it away.  
"Hmm. From what I managed to gather, Weiss was under house arrest for speaking out against her father, and about how Atlas had become too self-concerned. Your father isn't a very nice man, Weiss. I've never met him, and I don't want too. He literally threw her away into her room, grounding her, and lied to the media of Atlas about her being grounded saying she was _still highly affected by the Fall of Beacon, and hereby declares herself to step down from the Schnee name until such a time wounds heal_ – aka until I declare my daughter has learnt her lesson to not to be so open-mouthed at me. I'll punch him back for you, if I ever see him. Your brother too, I swear." Elder-Ruby intoned, while patting Oscar on his head in thanks for his gentle reminder about her eyes.  
The table went silent.

"…That…That would mean I would be homeless. Nameless…" Weiss muttered.  
Oscar jumped in and nodded. "When I personally met you, you just referred to yourself as Weiss. You corrected me when I called you by your last name." Oscar told her.  
Weiss frowned. "Okay, personally? Previously? This is getting confusing. Look, I've never met you." Weiss told him.  
Oscar blinked, and turned to Elder-Ruby. "I did it again." He pouted.  
The teachers remained silent in their curiosity, while Ozpin watched on to see how or if he or _they_ would explain it.  
"It might be easier…" Elder-Ruby trailed off, looking to Ozpin, who gave a small curious shrug. "Ugh. You're no help." She muttered.  
"See? You _see_?! That's what I got to deal with!" Oscar said. " _On a daily basis!_ " He told her, as if on pain of death.  
Elder-Ruby snorted.

" _Ugh. Fine!_ Fine! I can't exactly _show you_ any more, but I can still retell it…" He muttered to himself. "See. Um. In our," he motioned to himself and his companion. "timeline, Ozpin was taken out by Cinder," Here they nodded, Elder-Ruby had explained this in passing. "So, because of this, everything that made him up, was transferred to me. All his memories, all he has ever done, all he ever _was_ ," he put a thumb to his forehead. "All here." He told them.  
Apart from his companion, they all stared at him with varying emotions and expressions. "I can't begin to tell you how _weird_ it is to see him there, and hear him but when I look at him _he's not the one speaking_." Oscar muttered.  
It was a contributing factor as to why Ozpin hadn't been vocal around Oscar could he help it, he himself would be as confused and frustrated at, if he were to meet his previous self.  
"So, when I say I've seen you previously, or have memories of the current you, they're Oz's memories and feelings, and when I say personally, I am referring to when I – the boy you see in front of you – met whoever I am talking about for the first time. It is why I knew of Ruby, but couldn't get out more than " _Silver Eyes! You're the Silver Eyes!_ " when I first met her, it just kinda bursts out, and all I end up doing is apologising for it." Oscar told them.

./.

"It's beyond weird and confusing when you first meet Oscar, especially if you knew Ozpin," Elder-Ruby commented because she could, and privately enjoyed seeing Oscar squirm. "Because he will end up calling you what Ozpin called you, and attempt to change the title to suit you once he realises he's called you what Ozpin used to call you as, or referred to you by your largest trait that comes first to his mind, _and you appropriately freak_. Like with me, it's was my silver eyes, as it was the first thing that Ozpin noticed. He backtracks fast, apologised, and tries to figure out what to call you from then on. It sometimes ends up being a mesh of both. I've been around Oscar for a year, maybe longer, trained with him, even fought beside him too, and I've gotten used to him calling me several monikers," Elder-Ruby spoke out loud about her companion, who went increasingly red with embarrassment as she talked.  
It was because he had several names for her, she knew his emotional state depending on which one he used at the time to refer to her.

She looked to a startled Ironwood. "It's why he calls you James – because Ozpin called you James, it's how he knew who you were when you first met him. He'll refer to anyone Ozpin knew by the name he had given them." Elder-Ruby told, while liking having Oscar put on the spot, she knew how all confused they were when they first met — it wasn't something she wanted to Oscar to have to repeat should she be able to help in any capacity she could — if she could explain whereas Oscar couldn't, she would. Oscar, himself didn't do well explaining. Ozpin before him either, now that she thought about it.  
"I apologise. It's getting harder to sort out who I personally know…" Oscar apologised.  
Elder-Ruby looked to him, with a frown. "But it's not your fault?" She asked.  
Oscar just shook his head. "No, but I feel it is. I know when Qrow looks to me, and tries to see _through me_. I can't help him see Oz anymore, so I can't help him when he's sad that he can't directly talk to Ozpin. He _lost_ Oz. I can't replace him for him. It's getting too hard to change over now than it was in the beginning." Oscar said painfully.  
Qrow wasn't the only one who flinched painfully.  
Elder-Ruby just blinked. "Sorry…If I ever made you feel like that…" She said awkwardly.  
He looked at her with a smile. "You are forgiven Miss Ruby Rose. You've never done it." He told her. "I can't replace him, and he apologises for leaving." He told her.  
Elder-Ruby just nodded awkwardly and patted his head.

/

* * *

/

Their time using the hall was over when other refugees came in, seeking breakfast. They were rather amazed that they had talked as long as they had without interference before now. Elder-Ruby trotted off to collect the modified Crocea Mors before coming back with it fixed above Crescent Rose.  
Oscar noted she was looking at him critically. "What's up?" He asked.  
"I need to drill you enough so you don't rely on remembering what Oz did to move, or your limbs giving out since you actually suck at this. Your stature is like Jaune's, so I know how, I've memorized his video by now." Elder-Ruby told him, extremely rambling to get to her point. "And if you've forgotten, I'm one up on you since I learnt how to use Jaune's weapon and hand-to-hand!" She reminded cheekily, because she could — it was her turn now since Oscar only learnt one weapon aside from his own.

Oscar blinked. "Shouldn't we help RWBY and JNPR as well?" He asked, noting not just the teams mentioned were eavesdropping.  
Elder-Ruby looking thoughtful. "Hmm…True. But they can get goodish by themselves. Yang might need Dad... _You_ , on the other hand, need my help. We need to be ready in case we get sent back to where we came from, I swung that sword for a reason, damn it." Elder-Ruby told him.  
Oscar shrugged. "I'm not adverse, just making sure." He told her.  
She just nodded, but seeing Qrow's look, motioned him to Oscar. "I think you have a visitor…" She whispered to him, and was off like a shot.  
"You have fed me to the wolves." He muttered, seeing not just Qrow, but Glynda, Ironwood, and _Ozpin_. Yep. Wolves. _Fed to_.  
He was screwed. And Ozpin could stop laughing at him anytime he felt like it.

./.

They all ended up standing around each other awkwardly.  
"You seem to rely a lot on Ruby." Was Qrow's first reaction.  
Oscar for all his worth violently flinched. "...Yeah, I probably shouldn't...But she helps ground me. I'm...pretty sure she's a friend...?" Oscar voiced.  
"Why wouldn't you know if she was a friend or not?" Glynda asked.  
"Um. Because I've not had actual friends before? I mean I know Oz had friends, not quite sure if I should count them as mine. ...And... And Miss Rose knew Oz first, so..." Oscar voiced, getting rather confused by himself. He might be Ozpin's successor, but that didn't mean he wasn't awkward in just about anything else he tried to do. Growing up on a farm doesn't exactly scream social conductivity.

They looked at each other confused as well.  
"Are you going to be alright? With you changing things, this wouldn't have happened to you so soon." Ozpin said.  
Oscar blinked at him, his head automatically siding to one side whenever he listened to Ozpin talk. "Hmm... I did make a good farmhand, you were the one to point out it wasn't the thing I wanted to do. Hadn't it been for you, I wouldn't have known that." Oscar told him truthfully.  
"What about Miss Rose? You won't know her." Ironwood questioned curiously.  
They all watched as he automatically looked around for Ruby, finding her looking up at the sky reminiscently.  
"I will miss whatever days I won't have with her because of this, but because Oz knew her, I'll know her regardless," he then looked back to them with a small smile on his face. "Besides, I would rather her not cry like that ever again. If the price of that is my memories with her, then that is okay." He told them.

They stared at him.  
"Are you taking her feelings into account?" Glynda asked gently.  
Oscar cocked his head, but smiled. "She doesn't need me." He told her.  
Qrow was the one that snorted, causing Oscar to look at him in confusion. "That's a load of bullshit!" He said. "You might not understand you are friends with her, but she's friends with you. That's not based on whether or not she knew Oz before you. She sees you as a friend, she'll protect you as such. Orders or not." Qrow told him.

./.

Oscar blinked at him, before finding Ruby again to watch her a little as she interacted with her younger self.  
They watched as he frowned.  
 _You'll need to make sure Miss Rose understands that changing my being alive affects you, she needs to understand that because of this, she will, in most likelihood, never know you until the Ozpin aside her now, dies._  
"...I don't look forward to telling her, if she doesn't understand already..." Oscar said, seemingly to himself, but his voice full of pain. He then looked to the adults around him looking at him in confusion. "If you don't need me further, I need to go talk to Miss Ruby." He told them, when they didn't say otherwise, he nodded and made his way over to Ruby.

./.

"What was that about?" Qrow asked, confused by the sudden 180° the kid did in seconds.  
"I believe he's putting her feelings first." Ozpin started. "They've probably just realised that young Miss Rose's memories will change aside from their own." Ozpin voiced.  
"So, it suddenly matters if it's her memories that get changed," Qrow snorted. "Totally makes sense, Oz." He remarked.  
"Try and look at it from his respective, everyone he's met since I died has known me first, he's bound to see himself second-hand." Ozpin voiced, making them all flinch. "He'll naturally question everyone's ties to him. He'll naturally be unsure of any ties with people who knew his predecessor." Ozpin continued, then let them ponder his words in silence, content in watching the children in the same silence.

./.

Oscar could remember the last time he felt this nervous: it would have been over a year or so ago, when Ozpin told him to approach a man at a bar in that loud voice he didn't possess anymore.  
Maybe it was this family in general that just made him nervous of their respective reactions.  
The younger Ruby saw him first, and quickly paused wherever they were in their conversation to silently stare at him in awe. For what, her awe was for he wasn't sure. Her going quiet, made the Ruby he first personally met turn around, and once she saw him, burst out into a smile.  
"Oscar!" She greeted happily, happy to see him. "Finished with the meeting?" She questioned curiously. Oscar nodded, and shifted nervously, a nervous tick Elder-Ruby automatically saw and recognised, caused her smile to falter. "...Are you okay?" She asked, her voice giving way to her concern.  
"I'm not sure how..." the two girls saw he was struggling.  
"It's okay," placated the younger. "We'll wait. Get it out!" She cheered.  
Oscar flinched, making her realise her approach hadn't worked.

Elder-Ruby bent down a little to meet his height and clasped his shoulder. "What's wrong? What could be so wrong to warrant such an expression from you? Who died?" Elder-Ruby asked, recently all bad news was that someone had died, that her response to anything that looked remotely like a bringer of bad news was automatic to her thinking the worst, how someone could have died in the five minutes she had spent staring at the sky, she didn't know. Stranger things have happened. She knew Oscar, after all. She got down pat to a single word to know which was speaking, had she'd not seen the light show, she'd have Qrow know thank you very much.  
Oscar shook his head. "Opposite, Miss Rose. Do—Do you understand that because Ozpin is still alive..." he flinched painfully.  
Elder-Ruby stared at him for a minute, before realisation dawned making her eyes grow wide. "I won't know you." She muttered, in rising several emotions that Oscar couldn't pin down her emotions outside of what he could hear as terror, alarm and pain.  
"I'm sorry, what?" The younger asked, confused looking from her elder to the boy she'd like to be friends with, seeing how close they had become was nice to see that she could become that close with someone.

Elder-Ruby sighed. "It's because Ozpin died early that I even met Oscar. Because we've changed that, you won't meet him when I did. He won't need to fight, he won't know who he will be until Professor Ozpin passes away. I won't have all those conversations with him, I won't have all those spars, all those jokes, those campfires…" She trailed off, no one was as startled as her to see tears run down her checks.  
"Ruby…" Oscar tried.  
Whatever he was going to try and say was silenced when she loudly sobbed. "I won't know you!" She cried out in pain, coming in as fast as she could to hold him close.  
The younger Ruby watched on as her elder cried painfully, as if sharing her pain. It wasn't nice to know that there was a friend she had a high chance she would never meet. She had no wish for Ozpin to die just so she could meet Oscar. But it was painful to know there would be so many moments in shifted time she would ultimately lose that would be that powerful enough to cry over if lost.  
It was a strange thing, to mourn a friend you never met. But Ruby did so in silence as she watched on with the knowledge that she had never cried that hard in her life as she did over the boy who held her elder close and buried his face into her hair to comfort himself that for that split moment, she was still there with him, and he could still hold her.

./.

Elder-Ruby only quietened when she cried herself to sleep.  
Oscar looked to Ruby. "I may need your help in moving her." Oscar asked.  
Ruby nodded silently, and came in closer to help move her elder.  
They weren't able to move her far seeing as she latched onto Oscar, so they moved her to a bench where she could lie down, and still latch onto Oscar as he sat next to her gently.

./.

Seeing that it was finally quiet, Yang was the one to come up to a silent frowning Ruby.  
"Hey, sis, why was she crying? Never heard someone cry that hard they cry themselves to sleep!" Yang admitted, a little concerned.  
Ruby nodded, she could understand a little. "It is a little sad." She muttered.  
Yang just looked to her. "Huh?" She questioned.  
Ruby looked to her. "I think because of what they changed, being Ozpin lives, she recognised that she wouldn't know Oscar when she did." Ruby told.  
Yang just looked confused. "But that makes no sense? Won't when they get sent back, nothing changes for them because this didn't happen for them?" Yang questioned.  
Ruby just shook her head a little. "That doesn't change the fact there is a universe _she_ created where there is a friend she never meets. And _that_ to _me_ sounds awful." Ruby replied.

Yang understood, she knew her sister, Ruby made friends for life with almost everyone she meets. No wonder she had cried as if she had been at a funeral. In some weird twisted way, she had been. Just with the person, she had sentenced trying to comfort her. In a weird twist of irony, Yang understood the mourning of someone who was alive, yet not in your life. So, she could sympathise with the older version of her sister crying her heart out. Yang looked to her sister critically, and realised she too understood her elder's feelings.  
"…Well, even if it's gonna be painful to not ever meet him, why not make some memories now? That way it might not be as hard when they go back to where they came from?" Yang questioned.

Ruby nodded, just because her immediate future was different from the future her elder lived, and that might mean that she couldn't meet Oscar when her elder did, it didn't stop her now until when they left to make as many memorable memories with the boy whose fondness expression had stayed the same from one Ruby to the other, Ruby had realised that when she had gone over every encounter with the boy in her mind. Even though she had only known him one day, she knew she already liked him, would consider him a friend in a heartbeat, seeing her elder cry over her knowing she would miss out on so many memories had sealed the deal alongside Yang's comment – she would take time to talk to Oscar, there was a lot of differences between the boy holding her elder close, to the man who she had respect as her headmaster that she really did forget that Oscar could hear Ozpin, and saw the two males as separate beings. She wanted to be friends with Oscar for as long – or little – time she had with him.

./.

Ruby looked around, and found that her sister had long deserted her, how long ago she didn't know, but she was left alone with Oscar for the time being. That fond expression was back, as he made sure to use the tattered cloak as a blanket.  
"Has she done that before?" Ruby questioned, curious for the response.  
Oscar looked to her, Ruby noted, again, that the fond expression stayed, even when he shook his head gently.  
"No. I'm rather glad she hasn't though, it felt horrible. I don't want to be the cause of her crying ever again. I've managed to make her cry twice in one day, a record I never wanted." He told her softly.  
Ruby cocked her head. "You must be good friends," She said, a little sadly.  
Oscar blinked. "Truthfully? I hadn't thought she would consider me her friend—" He paused seeing her expression turned incredulous. "Yeah. Never making that mistake again. In my defence, I've not had friends before she came into my life. As well, everyone I know knew Oz, and I'm a little unsure who they see me as." Oscar told her.  
"Damn!" Ruby cursed, as if something just occurred to her.  
Oscar blinked at the cursive used. "What's wrong?" He asked.  
Ruby looked a little ashamed, her hand going to behind her head bashfully. "I totally forgot about the Ozpin—in—your—head thing." Ruby admitted.  
Oscar stared at her. "…It's normally the first thing people remember about me…" He muttered.  
Ruby shook her head, bouncing on her toes. "Nope! Not me! Totally forgot! I just see you, I don't even know how old you are, but I don't think that matters, sometimes you act older, do you have an older sibling? I get told I act older than my age a lot, and when I say I have an older sister, they attribute my attitude to that." Ruby babbled.

Oscar stared at her, the comment Ruby had about forgetting about Ozpin, and forgetting his age plenty of times before, suddenly made a lot more sense. He didn't think he could be more awed by Ruby, but there she went again, amazing him.  
"I guess you can kinda say Oz is my older brother in those terms," Oscar chuckled, making Ruby giggle. "As for the age thing, it's something you forget a lot, but I'm not much younger than you." Oscar reminded.  
Ruby blinked at that information, _finally_ (!) someone younger than herself! Not that he acted it much, though. Much like her in that respect.

Ruby smiled. "I would very much like to meet you, Oscar. I have the feeling you're a very important friend to me." She told him.  
Oscar couldn't help the gasp that escaped him, nor the explosion of tears welling up in his eyes. "That is—That doesn't—" He tried, but he ended up just sighing and smiling at her. "I would like that very much Miss Ruby Rose." He told her finally, making her grin happily.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N** : ...I'll just be over here ... laughing at the " _Little Cute Boy Ozpin_ " remark from Nora. I think I hurt myself laughing. But thank you show for providing me with more material for this story. Bless episode three. Bless.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** Ruby and Oscar go on a witch hunt for Weiss. Jacques is awarded the _Worst Father_ award. Ruby gets too close to him for Oscar's comfort. Oscar has a huge dislike for the man. To those who know me by now know I can't write fights scenes for shite. Fight scene feat magic boomerang sword. Because reasons. Everyone is trying their best. Oscar is a _Good Boy_. Weiss owes money. Yang is a _Good Sister_. Everyone hates Raven. Ruby has bad timing.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Here, have a chapter, it's my birthday after all. Please award me with reviews, because it's slightly disconcerting not having feedback about this by two chapters in...  
I'm a very fragile human being in need of validation? Please?  
Do you guys hate it? Am I doing something wrong? Please tell me. I'm not gonna bite, I swear.  
Still not beta'd. All mistakes are clearly mine.

 ** _Edited 05/11/2017 -  
Attempt to fix formatting issues for readability  
(No Beta)_**

/

* * *

/

 _How could you lie there, watching me die here, watching me give up on everything we were? How could you watch when I was so broken? Watching everything we built up fade away. I'm at the edge, I'm fighting just to breathe. Then, I remember you said, you'd never leave. You keep me alive when everything falls apart. You are the one that's holding me, you make all the pain inside, fade away. How could you live with all of my weakness? All the times I ran, pushing you away? All I do is hurt you, I never deserved you: Never aware of all I've put you through. Then I remember you said you'd never leave. Do you remember you said you'd never leave…?  
— Stria_

Chapter 3

Ruby didn't remember falling asleep, but she reckoned she did when she woke up seeing Oscar above her, she guessed he was asleep, or just had his eyes closed for the time being. She'd never seen him asleep before. Though, how she got on his lap, she didn't know either, but she was glad that someone – most likely Oscar – had tucked her cloak around her.  
What she couldn't resist was the urge to poke him. Her hand reached out and poked him just under the chin, he made such a grunt noise that a back-throated snort erupted from her, that caused him to open his eyes.  
"Hello, miss Ruby!" He greeted, not at all annoyed at her for her conduct. Had he ever?  
It caused her to smile up at him tiredly. "Sorry that I fell asleep on you." She apologised.  
Oscar shook his head. "No. I'm sorry for making you cry again." He told her, painfully.  
Ruby shook her head softly. "No, you don't need to apologise for that. I'm glad you told me, though." She told him.  
Oscar smiled at her gratefully.

Ruby got off him reluctantly and stretched properly. "How long was I out?" She asked.  
Oscar cocked his head and automatically looked to where the sun was in the sky for the time. "A few hours, it's a little past lunchtime." He told her.  
Ruby huffed. "Of course we miss lunch!" She grumbled.  
Oscar chuckled at her.  
Ruby looked to him. "I have a question to ask you, that I'm not sure of." Ruby started.  
Oscar looked back to her and blinked. "What's up?" He asked curiously.  
"I know between now and when I woke up in Patch, Weiss was taken back to Atlas by her father. …Should we stop that…?" She questioned, wanting his opinion.

Oscar cocked his head, then automatically turned his head, it was a sign Ruby knew that Ozpin had started talking.  
 _Perhaps you should ask Miss Schnee her opinion on the matter?_ He put forth, his voice wavering in and out.  
Oscar blinked, and Ruby edged forward to him to listen.  
"Oz said to ask Miss Weiss her opinion if she wants to go back, or not." Oscar echoed.  
Ruby nodded. "Well, that makes sense!" She got off the bench and stretched further. "We better start looking for her, then!" She exclaimed.  
Oscar nodded to his companion, getting up as well. "Not that I have any idea where she could be…" Ruby grumbled.  
"Perhaps we should ask around…?" Oscar questioned.  
Ruby nodded, and headed off towards the cafeteria, people were bound to be there at any time of day, food being served or not.

./.

They ended up finding team JNPR, but not team RWBY.  
"Jaune!" Ruby called happy to see a familiar face, while Oscar scanned the room for their target, and for anything else that could harm them automatically.  
All of team JNPR turned when she called their leader's name.  
"Hey, Ruby!" Jaune returned greeting, as the two time-travellers came up to him.  
"You okay now? You seemed pretty upset before." Pyrrha questioned gently.  
Oscar was the one that flinched, but Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Hey, have you seen Weiss around?" Ruby was quick to change topic once she felt Oscar aside her flinch.  
Team JNPR looked to each other.  
"…I think I saw her with her team over at the open field we're using as a practice field?" Nora babbled.  
Ruby blinked. "…And that's where…?" Ruby questioned.  
"We'll take you there." Ren put forth, his team nodding in the same sentiment.  
"Thanks!" Ruby said, bouncing happily on her toes gratefully.

./.

They came into the field they were using to see that team RWBY was indeed practising with team-friendly blanks and dust manipulations. Team JNPR hung back a little, too curious as to why Elder-Ruby wanted to find Weiss.  
"Yo! Weiss!" Elder-Ruby called, waving her hand up in the air to get her attention.  
It worked in a spectacular fashion, that most of the team ended up misfiring in surprise, Weiss herself nearly tripped over herself.  
Team RWBY looked over in surprise to see the other version of their leader calling for their teammate.  
"Better see what she wants…" Ruby said, making her teammates nod, and make their way over.

Seeing them come up to her, Elder-Ruby smiled in gratitude.  
"What's up?" Yang was first to ask.  
Elder-Ruby smiled. "Since I was out cold the first time 'round, I'm not totally sure of the timeframe, but during this time, Weiss does get forced back to Atlas by her father…" Elder-Ruby started, pausing when Weiss flinched. "So, I'm asking if Weiss actually wants to go back to Atlas currently. I know that almost a year later she leaves, stronger than when she arrived, but that's then, and this is now," She raised her hands to rest them on her hips. "So, what do you want to do?" She asked Weiss directly. "I never did ask Weiss when she came back, if she wanted to leave in the first place, was a bit preoccupied with the Grimm attack…" Elder-Ruby trailed off, frowning.  
Weiss looked to her teammates to judge their reactions, Blake still had that guilty-ashamed look on her face that no matter what her friends did or said could remove. Ruby looked the most devastated that there was a situation where Weiss could leave.  
Weiss herself was confused. "And how do you think you can make my father change his mind?" She asked curiously.

"We could kill him." Oscar suddenly said, causing even his Ruby to look at him incredulously, that even he almost looked startled. "That actually wasn't me." He intoned, again reminding them of Ozpin.  
Elder-Ruby ended up chuckling. "I don't think we should kill him, Oz." She said, and Oscar shrugged non-committedly and went back to scanning their surroundings.  
"How 'bout we hide her?" Ruby voiced.  
Elder-Ruby looked to herself. "How would that work?" She asked.  
She shrugged. "Better than killing him?" She asked.  
Elder-Ruby just blinked. "And how long do we hide her for? I don't know when he'll come and try and take her." Ruby told them.  
They were startled when Oscar pointed outwards to an incoming ship. "Better do it fast." He told them.

"Shit!" Yang looked her sister incredulously. "Time to decide, Weiss! Hide or go!" She rushed to say.  
"I'm not going anywhere!" Weiss said, a little panicked at the thought of being forced to leave her friends.  
"Good!" Elder-Ruby shouted, then burst into flower petals, and just as fast Weiss was gone.  
Oscar put up his hands in defeat when they looked at him for answers. "Don't look at me. Pretend you don't know where Miss Weiss is? And try not to kill Jacques." Oscar told them.  
They all looked to each other, apparently, Weiss's father was called Jacques.

./.

Seeing the president of the Schnee Dust company in person, made them all aware of how much they actually hated the man on sight.  
Oscar, himself, curled his hands into fists when the man demanded his daughter from Ozpin and Ironwood. Both who looked surprised to see him, and that Weiss was not with her teammates.  
Qrow suddenly appeared, thumping down on Oscar's heads. "Where's the Ice Princess?" He questioned.  
Oscar blinked at his sudden appearance. "It was decided that Miss Weiss didn't want to leave with Jacques." Oscar told him.  
Qrow blinked at him in surprise. "Who decided that? You?" He asked.  
Oscar shook his head. "Miss Weiss did, and from what I can recall from Oz about Jacques, and what I've been told happened to miss Weiss while in her father's custody personally, I don't see fit to return her to him." Oscar said sternly.  
Surprisingly them all that the boy had steel in him, and again reminding them that he was indeed Ozpin's successor for a reason.  
Qrow just shrugged in surrender. "So, where is she? We can't steer him wrong if we don't know where she is." He told him.  
Oscar just shrugged. "Miss Ruby was the one who took her, not me." Oscar said.  
Qrow just groaned painfully. "You're gonna make my life hell, aren't you?" He questioned.  
Oscar beamed. "That's the third time you've said that to me!" He said.  
Qrow opened his mouth to ask but then shook his head. "Nope." He muttered.

Oscar found himself gaining extreme amounts of satisfaction from how angry Jacques was becoming when he couldn't get answers out of Ozpin, who only had to look at Oscar once, who shook his head, immediately Ozpin understood to not let this man have his daughter, and proceeded to steer him wrong at every turn.  
Ozpin just ended up sighing. "How do you know she hasn't left for Atlas already? With scrolls down, we cannot contact her, if she perceived Beacon, Vale to be unsafe, wouldn't she go home at first chance?" Ozpin asked.  
It made Jacques pause and consider. "You have not seen her?" He questioned.  
Ozpin shook his head. "Not since this morning. I cannot be everywhere at one time, Jacques, you know this, surely." Ozpin continued.

./.

An actual light bulb lit over Ruby's young head, and before Oscar could call her back, she was off and standing next to Ozpin, alarmingly close to Jacques, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her.  
"Are you Weiss's father?" She started, startling both males at her sudden appearance.  
Jacques looked to Ruby in startlement at her sudden appearance. "Who are…?" He questioned.  
"I'm the leader of team RWBY, Weiss is my teammate!" Ruby told him.  
Oscar felt his skin crawl at Ruby being so close and went to stand next to her, with one hand on his concealed cane in case Jacques acted out, with a small look to Ozpin he knew that even he was on guard, same with Qrow, and the rest of the two teams she had left.  
"And I suppose you know where Weiss is?" Jacques asked sternly.  
Ruby nodded. "Yep! She let me know this morning she was heading back to Atlas, so I'd know I'd be a member short! With communications down, she'd be out of scroll reach if I needed her help, so she told me she'd be leaving for home. She wanted us to come too, she figured Atlas would be safer, but I can't leave at the moment. I told her that I'd come up to Atlas when I could…" Ruby started to babble, impressively thinking on her toes.  
Jacques just ended up holding up a hand to stall her, not noticing how on edge that made Oscar more then Ozpin and Qrow.

"Fine. Fine. Did she say how long it would take her? Or the route she had planned to take?" Jacques asked.  
Ruby blinked in confusion. "Wait. How far away is Atlas?" Ruby asked naively unaware of how far away anything was.  
Qrow just ended up face-palming.  
Oscar finally had enough of Ruby being too close to Jacques, and strode forward to grasp her arm gently, getting her attention, Ruby seeing his usual fond expression was now quite alarmed, immediately followed him backwards, even allowed him to place himself between her and Jacques, even if she didn't understand the need for him to do such.

If anything, Jacques could read people, and understood that Ruby was extremely naïve of a child, and hadn't asked the question of how long, or where. It was annoying, but Weiss must have been used to it, and forgotten to remind her leader of how far away Atlas was, or even how long it would take her to get home.  
Jacques just ended up sighing in annoyance. "I thank you anyway, miss…?" Jacques stalled to ask.  
Ruby blinked when she heard the smallest of growls from Oscar. "…Ruby. Ruby Rose…" She said nervously, picking up easily on how much Oscar actually hated this man.  
Recognition flashed in Jacques' eyes. "I see. Thank you miss Rose." He then looked to Ironwood. "Coming, James?" He questioned dangerously.  
Ironwood nodded. "I'll be along soon, Jacques." He intoned.  
Jacques just nodded and strode back to his ship, not waiting up, and it wasn't long before the ship started up and left the ground.

./.

Ruby looked to the boy next to her, who still held her arm gently.  
"…Oscar? Are you okay?" She questioned gently.  
"Damn, I hate that man." He grumbled, still glaring at the ship.  
Ruby and the rest especially were surprised to see him curse.  
Ozpin seemed to understand, ironically.  
Ruby watched as Oscar gave her a look over as if inspecting her for injury.  
Then, quite suddenly he smiled at her, let her go finally, and took up to whistle.  
They watched in amazement they were soon surrounded by red flower petals that reformed into Elder-Ruby and Weiss.  
"He gone?" Elder-Ruby's first question was.  
Oscar nodded. "He is under the impression that Weiss is on her way home." Oscar told her.  
Ruby looked to Weiss, with confusion. "…How far away is Atlas anyway…?" She asked.  
Everyone just blinked at her.  
Ironwood looked to Ozpin. "Why on earth did you make her leader?" He questioned sarcastically.  
Ozpin happily shrugged his shoulders while Oscar growled protectively.

/

* * *

/

Ruby looked back to Oscar. "Is it okay we go back to training now?" She asked him.  
Oscar blinked at her need to ask him. "Sure." He told her in surprise she asked permission.  
Ruby grinned and bounded over to her teammates. "Let's get back to it!" She yelled, then running off to where she and her team were before.  
"I'll watch them," Elder-Ruby intoned to Qrow, who nodded.  
"Are you staying?" Ozpin asked Oscar, who immediately cocked his head when listening.  
Oscar nodded. "I'll stay." He said.  
Ozpin nodded, and alongside Qrow and Ironwood, left the training grounds.

./.

"Hey. You." Ruby started pointing at Jaune.  
Who blinked at being called on by her. "Um. Yes?" He questioned.  
"Let's see how good you are now." Ruby demanded, drawing her version of Crocea Mors.  
Before anyone could blink she came at him, causing him to yelp as he was sent flying. "Oh. Wow. My bad! You normally block that. Whoops." Ruby rushed to say, while mildly blinking at how far Jaune had been sent flying.  
"Be a little bit gentler, Miss Ruby." Oscar reminded with a chuckle.  
Ruby nodded. "My bad. Hang tight Pyrrha." She noted, seeing the concerned look, then went over to help Jaune up.  
"Where you come from, I can block that?" Jaune questioned.  
Ruby nodded. "Yep! Let's get you blocking that again!" Ruby said happily.  
Nora ended up dragging Ren away to spar, leaving Oscar alone with Pyrrha. Not that he had noticed, as he had resumed automatically looking for danger, something felt wrong in the air, and he was annoyed that he or Oz couldn't pin it down. Perhaps Ruby had felt it, and training Jaune was her response to not being able to pin it down.

./.

The air felt heavy, he wasn't sure how much time he spent staring at the nearby woods, but his expression melted away from a frown into a glare.  
"…Are you alright?" Pyrrha finally asked him nervously.  
Oscar jolted and looked to her to shake his head. "The air feels wrong." He told her.  
Pyrrha took in the boy she was left with and noted that he had a hand on his concealed weapon on his back. "I have no memory of this, and it's annoying I can't pin it down." He ended up snarling in annoyance.  
It was another reminder of how much they had changed, and who Oscar actually was.  
Pyrrha looked out to the woods Oscar seemed fixated on. "I can't sense it…" She muttered.  
Oscar looked at her in alarm. "Then that's bad." He said. "What is it…?" He mumbled to himself. Ozpin had no answers for him.

./.

Oscar hissed. "Miss Ruby Rose is getting too close…" He muttered.  
Pyrrha took notice. "You care a lot for her." She noticed.  
Oscar blinked, thrown out of his concentration and looked surprised, then contemplative. "I guess I do. I'll apologise to her one day." Oscar said to himself, but she heard.  
"Why would you need to apologise?" Pyrrha asked in confusion.  
Oscar just shook his head and didn't elaborate, still fixated on the woods near where team RWBY was practising.

 _This feeling_ …  
Oscar cocked his head. "Hmm?" He asked out loud, gaining Pyrrha's attention.  
 _We need to get them away from the woods. Now!_  
Oscar immediately reacted, by whistling fast.  
Elder-Ruby immediately stalled, gathering herself and Jaune and reformed next to Oscar.  
"Get your team away from the woods!" Oscar near on yelled.  
Elder-Ruby spent no time in asking why and was gone in a split second – racing towards her former team. She gathered them up, as well as Ren and Nora, and in a split second and was back by the time Oscar had time to unfurl his cane.  
"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked, alarmed to see the cane out.  
Elder-Ruby dropped her teammates behind her, and immediately outstretched her Crescent Rose, her previous team wasted no time in doing the same.  
Oscar immediately shook his head. "No. Go get the others." He demanded of her.  
Elder-Ruby glanced at him, before disappearing off towards the encampment.  
"What is it? What's wrong?" Ruby asked Oscar.  
"There's something coming. I don't know what. The air feels foul." Oscar told her truthfully.

The air got heavy enough that even they could start to feel it, and tense up.  
People started dropping from red flower petals in the sky as they zoomed around collecting and dropping.  
"The hell?" Qrow asked, but seeing Oscar with his cane out, and feeling the air, he didn't need a response.  
Ozpin himself spent no time in asking questions, knowing there'd be a reason.  
Elder-Ruby reformed once she had gathered all she could, as well as once she did a routine scout ahead. She maintained a distance between the rest of the hunters she gathered and Qrow to minimalize his aura taking effect.

/

* * *

/

"Horde." She intoned, making Oscar curse.  
Elder-Ruby flipped her scythe around in sniper mode. "Rangers! On my mark!" She yelled automatically taking control.  
Barely blinking, those with range attacks readied themselves, as Oscar neared Elder-Ruby defensively.  
"Don't die on me." She snarled.  
"Wouldn't dream of it." Oscar returned.  
The ground started the rumble even the most non-sensitive could feel the oppression.  
"Steady." She called, knowing they could all feel it now.

"Now!" She yelled, and even though there was nothing to see they did as she demanded.  
By the time their shots headed out towards the woods, the first load of Grimm appeared and fell in the same instance.  
"Rangers! Again!" She called, and they followed. "Mid-Range! Ready!" She yelled, eyeing her snipe, and shooting several and she shouted. The Grimm were about halfway into the practice field. "Mid-range!" She shouted, and they rang out with their weapons alongside the Rangers. "Shields!" She called, and those like Jaune and Pyrrha readied their shields in front of themselves and their peers. "Close-range! Ready!" Ruby called, seeing how close they were. "No dying today!" She yelled. She went silent as the Grimm gained ground over the ranger and mid-range. "ALL-OUT!" She shouted, with it even huntsmen and huntresses with one-on-one weapons engaged nearby Grimm, and as a result, it caused all-out chaos, with Grimm falling and no humans were injured.  
Oscar stayed under Elder-Ruby's radar, pinning down the nearby Grimm she had managed to miss while sniper shooting further away Grimm. It was an effective strategy that many others adopted quickly, saving both the close and far Rangers from opposing threats neither could combat on their own.

./.

However, sooner or later, they would run out of stamina, dust and aura level if the battle went on for too long. Seeing an opening, Elder-Ruby shoved her Crescent Rose to Oscar, who was able to wield it when it was stationary, having been taught by Ruby herself. Ruby pulled out her version of Crocea Mors, and turning it into its broadsword, flung it like one would a boomerang; what she wasn't expecting was for several people to appear from it as it flew, people she recognised and were already in mid-battle when they came through.  
"Well, that was unexpected," Elder-Ruby huffed, but wasn't about to kick a gift in the mouth, took back her weapon once the sword found its original owner, who used it to fell several Grimm, next to Yang who thundered down on one.

"Thanks for that!" Elder-Jaune yelled at her, in reference to his sword.  
"Totally didn't mean to!" Elder-Ruby answered back.  
"I'm not gonna ask why there's two of you!" Elder-Jaune continued to yell, he had seen both scythe weapons easily.  
"Yeah! Well! Don't look now! But there's two of you!" Elder-Ruby yelled back.  
Elder-Jaune yelped when an Alpha jumped him, he took it out with the help of Elder-Ren.  
"Not gonna ask, not gonna ask." Elder-Jaune muttered as he focused purely on the next Grimm. The remaining team members of RNJR immediately stalled when Pyrrha appeared and helped take the next Grimm down.  
"RUBY ROSE!" Elder-Jaune yelled frantic, as he changed his broadsword back to a shield and sword as he ducked and sent Elder-Nora up, trying not to stare at Pyrrha too much.  
"MY BAD! TOTALLY MY BAD!" Elder-Ruby yelled back, and Elder-Nora thundered down on the next Alpha.

"ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO!" Elder-Ruby called out  
"HEY — NO! — THAT'S! — THAT'S CHEATING! YOU WERE HERE FIRST!" Elder-Jaune yelled at her, redirecting Ren's bullets with his shield.  
Seeing several massive sized Nevermore's, she looked to Oscar, who was already nodding, flipping her scythe around she vanished into roses, which rose upwards the attack the Nevermore's. Seeing that he was by himself, Oscar joined the fray in helping to take down Grimm aside his fellows, weaving in and out of their attack modes, pinning their foes in place, before getting out of dodge and going for the next one, gaining several thanks as he went.  
"Not gonna ask. Not gonna ask." Seemed Elder-Jaune's new mantra alongside counting how many Grimm he had taken down, Oscar noted as he neared.  
"One hundred and ten!" Oscar told him brightly.  
Elder-Jaune took a moment to glare at him. "How. Just how." He asked. Oscar grinned and pinned his next Grimm. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Elder-Jaune yelled, seeing him take it down, making Oscar laugh, and go for the next nearest.

/

* * *

/

A massive flash of light came above them, making Oscar freeze in terror and look up, trying to find Elder-Ruby, and soon the frozen Nevermore's Elder-Ruby was fighting slammed into the ground frozen, soon followed by Elder-Ruby's war scream, and she slammed down onto one, Elder-Jaune went for the other, and the next was taken down by Elder-Ren and Elder-Nora.  
"Ruby!" Oscar yelled, running over to the girl who dropped to her knees, knowing there would be no more Grimm to fight once Elder-Ruby got mad enough to send out a flash that large, it never failed to send the rest of the Grimm horde running for the hills.  
Oscar ran over to her, dropping to his knees in front of her to eye for her damage, as the rest of RNJR and RWBY took care of the frozen Nevermore's before long they turned into the notable black smoke of their demise.  
"I'm—I'm good." She panted.

./.

"Ruby!" Elder-Yang yelled, not the only one of RNJR and RWBY to come over in a panic. "You okay?" She asked settling next to Oscar to check on her sister.  
Elder-Ruby nodded. "I'll be good." She told them with a smile.  
"Well, that's great. Wanna tell us where we are?" Elder-Nora asked, eyeing Pyrrha, who was unmistakably _alive_.  
"Take a guess." Elder-Ruby panted.  
Elder-Weiss was the one who dragged her leader up. "What have you been up to, huh?" She asked, pointing her sword to de-materialise her Arma Gigas Great Knight, seeing as it was of no use anymore. She noted the stares of her younger.  
"We might be in the past..." Elder-Ruby told her.  
Both team RNJR and RWBY stared at Oscar and their leader.  
"Ooooh!" Elder-Nora went. "See. That actually explains a lot of things!" She said brightly.

"How long have we been gone, anyway?" Elder-Ruby asked curiously.  
"Not long, perhaps an hour at best." Elder-Jaune told her.  
Both Oscar and Elder-Ruby looked at each other, astonished.  
"Why? How long as you guys been here?" Elder-Ren asked.  
"Two, three? days, at least?" Elder-Ruby asked as Oscar just shrugged.

./.

Elder-Jaune was the one who flicked Oscar in the back of the head in their weird odd bro familiarity. "This got something to do with you?" He asked curiously.  
Oscar quickly shook his head. "Never happened to me before!" He was quick to assure.  
Elder-Jaune looked to Elder-Ruby calculative. "…How far in the past?" He asked, ignoring, for now, the medics running around to see if they were needed.  
"We appeared during the last fight of the Vytal Festival. We've been helping out since." Elder-Ruby told him, no longer needing Elder-Weiss' help to stand, even so, Oscar eyed her to make sure his wayward now-recognised-as- _friend_ wasn't rushing it.  
Elder-Jaune nodded in gratitude to the information.

"Though, I do have a favour to ask of you, Jaune." Elder-Ruby started, getting Elder-Jaune to look back to her in question. "Because what we've changed, have directly affected Pyrrha, Penny and Oscar, okay? …Don't hurt Ozpin for choices he hasn't been forced to make." Elder-Ruby asked as gently as she could.  
Oscar tried not to flinch at the comment, he could remember all too well when Qrow made sure Oscar told them that he had Ozpin's memories to RNJR — Jaune had reacted the worst over time. It had taken a long time for Jaune to see Oscar wasn't exactly Ozpin and wasn't to be blamed for any previous actions he had grievances with.  
Elder-Jaune himself flinched but ended up sighing. "I'll…I'll try, alright?" He said dejectedly.  
Elder-Ruby nodded happily. "Best I can ask!" Then was able to finally hug her sister. "Yang!" She said happily, making many chuckle happily.

It didn't take very long for the onlookers to realise the newcomers were, in fact, some of them from wherever in the future Ruby and Oscar came from, it only took a split second to take in the changes, such as the gold in Jaune's armour that complimented his weapon, to Yang's elbow joint, to hit home just how much the two had changed.  
"You taking good care of her?" Elder-Yang asked Oscar.  
Oscar blinked. "She's been taking care of me." He insisted.  
"Um. Yang…?" Elder-Ruby asked, her voice muffled from where her sister had engulfed her. "Can't breathe." Elder-Yang let her go, still protective, there was a slight tap that Elder-Yang couldn't feel but hear. "Needs tunin'." Elder-Ruby told her.  
Elder-Yang just rolled her eyes. "Ever on the go." She told her.

/

* * *

/

In the end, they all made their way back to the hall. They set up awkwardly around the two teams from the future as they sat at one of the tables to recover from the battles they had recently fought in, while Elder-Yang tossed her arm at her sister.  
"Have a hand, sis." She told her.  
Everyone around her just groaned woefully.

No one else seemed to be able to help Ruby, fearful of Yang, aside from Oscar who somehow wormed his way into helping who knew when, possibly due to the fact that once Oscar met Ruby he had stuck to her side like glue.  
"Okay," Elder-Ruby started, as aware as she could be of the many awkward and ongoing stares from her previous teammates and teachers from the time she crash-landed in.  
She had one gadget over her eye, another pointed at the yellow metallic arm, while Oscar had again taken one from her mouth, so she could speak properly. "So, most of you guys were here the first time. Weiss, you might have just been taken by your father — I'm sorry that I didn't punch him one — Blake were you still…?" She questioned, not taking her eyes off her sister's arm she was repairing.  
Everyone immediately saw the cat Faunus freeze, her shown kitty ears fall into themselves, almost hiding themselves in her hair. Elder-Yang was the one who patted her on the back in reassurance. Everyone saw Elder-Blake stare at her incredulously.  
"Yo, Weiss, you owe me money. Told you she'd freeze!" Elder-Yang said, still patting her frozen friend, as if to reassure her she wasn't mad at her.  
Elder-Weiss just grumbled in annoyance at being coerced into making a bet in the first place.

"No, I, um… I had left already…" Elder-Blake muttered.  
Elder-Ruby just nodded as she switched tools with Oscar. "I'm trying to understand the timeline between the fall and when RNJR started up." Elder-Ruby told them.  
"…RNJR?" Ruby asked, next to her open staring teammates.  
Elder-Nora snorted, Elder-Ren gave her an eye roll. "Don't mind them, it took us awhile to form a name." Elder-Jaune told her, shooting a glare at Elder-Nora when she muttered something.  
"Still not a colour…" Elder-Ren told her, and she just slumped in defeat over the table.  
"To answer questions, I can't remember much time being spent here," He looked to Elder-Nora and Elder-Ren, who just shrugged, while Elder-Nora was still grumpy. "But I do remember Weiss leaving with her father, after that we got the call from you asking if we wanted to come to Mistral with you." Elder-Jaune told the Ruby fixing the arm, then looked to the younger Ruby. "RNJR is what we ended up calling ourselves over the course of us going to Mistral." He explained softly and calmly.  
Everyone saw Elder-Ruby flinch. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm _really_ bad at telling how far away anything is." She told them.  
Elder-Yang snorted. "How long did you think it would take?" She asked, amused.  
Elder-Ruby just groaned. "Do you want your arm back or not?!" She yelled angrily.  
"She thought it would take less than two weeks." Elder-Ren informed.  
"SABOTEUR!" Elder-Ruby cried throwing her tool at Elder-Ren, ignoring her sister's indignant screech at seeing the tool get thrown.

./.

It wasn't hard for the current team JNPR to understand RNJR was formed because of what happened to their then RWBY and JNPR and how many of those teammates were long longer fit for duty as they are now.

./.

"Why couldn't Uncle Qrow come back as well, he would know." Elder-Ruby muttered, regaining everyone's interest.  
"I'm pretty sure he was still trying to make Raven talk." Elder-Yang said, tossing the tool back to Elder-Ruby who caught it and returned to tuning the arm.  
"I'm so glad you didn't get that part of her. At least you're easy to talk to." Elder-Ruby said.  
Those who had the misfortune to have met Raven nodded in gratitude Yang didn't inherit that trait from her mother. Stubbornness they could deal with.  
Elder-Yang leaned into her sister's space and grinned. "Miss me that much?"  
Elder-Ruby yelped, and automatically her arm reflexed, nearly punching her sister in the face, had she not anticipated it, laughing the entire way happily.

./.

Yang looked to Blake, who was still staring. "Is, uh, is anyone else confused?" She asked, most of her teammates put up their hands to acquiesce their confusion. She looked back to the time travellers. "Who's Raven?" She asked, not noticing her Uncle flinching, but noticed herself looking at her with a blank look before she reached into one pocket and threw something at her.  
When she unfolded it, she took in the old members of team STRQ, folded around what looked like an empty red dust cartridge only for a split second before Qrow took it off her.  
"How the hell did you get this?" He asked.  
"Dad gave it to me when I left Patch when he asked where I was going." Elder-Yang told him calmly, as if expecting him to blow up.  
Yang looked back and forth between herself and Qrow. "Where you were going?" She asked.  
Elder-Yang nodded, aware that everyone else who hadn't heard the story before were listening in. "He wanted to know where I was going, once I left Patch, to go after my mother, or to go after Ruby."

Yang stared, suddenly understanding that her mother was Raven.  
"Where did you go?" Ruby asked, gaining her sister's attention.  
Seeing her, she brightened up. "Holy crap you're so small!" She gathered her other sister up in a one arm hug, which by no means was any less weak in strength, causing Ruby to squeak out in surprise, having not expected to be gathered up or her feet to leave the ground.  
"Saboteur." She heard her other-self mutter again, and Oscar chuckle. "Let her breathe, sis, I was just as surprised." Elder-Ruby told her.  
Elder-Yang let her other sister go, putting her back on the floor, with minimal jostling because of her one arm. "Sorry, sis, you, you dummy!" she poked Ruby's forehead, sending Ruby rocking on the backs of her feet. "Of course I went after you! —Hell kind of sister would I be?" She burst out incredulously when she saw Ruby still didn't get that she came first. "I may have gotten lost, but it was still you!" She insisted.

"Still surprised the hell out of me." Elder-Ruby muttered.  
"Yo, Oscar, you're closer, whack her one." Elder-Yang ordered.  
Oscar blinked in alarm, before shaking his head. "I would very much not like to do that, miss Yang." He told her.  
Elder-Yang rolled her eyes. "Must've forgotten how soft you are on her." She muttered as she walked over, thankfully both Ruby's and Oscar hadn't heard, and she whacked her sister herself.  
"It was always gonna be you, sis." She told her.  
"But she's your…" Elder-Ruby stuttered, Oscar gently took the tool she held weakly in fear she may drop it and/or break it.  
Elder-Yang ruffled her hair, causing Elder-Ruby to stutter at her in confusion.

/

* * *

/

"Here, sis!" Elder-Ruby called, tossing the arm back to Elder-Yang. "So, what you're saying is that _no one here_ has any clue what happens next?" Elder-Ruby asked, while everyone current stream watched Elder-Yang curiously as she tucked her attachable arm under the joint to hold it, while to get her clothes out the way yanked them up to her teeth to hold them out the way, so she could attach it properly, once she did she experimentally moved her digits around, watching for signs of fault as she shuffled around making sure it was fight functional.  
"Yep. That's what we're saying." Elder-Ren informed her.  
Elder-Ruby just groaned and, following Elder-Nora, slumped over the table in defeat. "How do we even plan if we don't know…" She trailed off as Elder-Yang went over to Qrow to get her picture back.  
"Sup," Elder-Nora echoed, holding up her fist to Elder-Ruby who fists pumped it tiredly.  
"What we do know is what will happen in Mistral," Oscar put forth, having been silent for the most part.  
"Sure. But that doesn't start to take place for, like, _a year_." Elder-Ruby groaned.  
"Miss Ruby, we might be taken back at any minute…" Oscar tried.

Elder-Ruby stared up at the ceiling silently, while Oscar's words swirled in her head, a heavy frown coming across her features as she stared up.  
Oscar put his hand on her knee. "You can't be responsible for everything, Ruby. Please take this as advice from someone who understands." He told her solemnly.  
She made a noise of annoyance, then sat back up. "So, where was I?" She asked, then looked to her teammates. "Was telling them what we changed," she told them, so they could follow along. "Maybe you guys can tell them your stories, so they know what they need to be able to do before Mistral happens…" She trailed off nervously but smiled when her teammates nodded.

./.

Elder-Weiss was the one who came over to her leader, and whacked her over her head. "Dolt. That doesn't help us when you haven't exactly said what they know already!" She exclaimed.  
Elder-Ruby ducked. "Sorry! Sorry!" She replied. "I was kinda basic, because I wasn't able to talk to you properly about what you went through while you were in Atlas during fighting Grimm and bandits." Elder-Ruby told her.  
Elder-Weiss looked thoughtful, then looked over to her younger curiously. "Do you know how to summon properly yet?" She questioned. Weiss mutely shook her head. "I'll teach you later." She promised. Elder-Ruby looked at her incredulously, making her shrug. "Wasn't able to do much under house arrest." She reminded.

./.

Elder-Yang threw one arm over Elder-Blake and pulled her to her side.  
"What'cha say about us?" Elder-Yang said while grinning, patting Elder-Blake's shoulder when she felt her friend flinch at her being so casual with her, despite what happened.  
Elder-Ruby shrugged. "Again. Not much. Hard to talk to you guys when I'm being surrounded by Grimm. I did say that Blake was at Menagerie for the most part." Elder-Ruby told. She blinked then looked to Elder-Blake. "What actually did happen in Menagerie, Blake? What made you decide to leave?" She asked curiously, leaning forward. "…You…don't need to say, if you don't want to." Elder-Ruby backpedalled quickly, in case the reason was bad.  
Elder-Blake looked up and between the two sisters, Elder-Yang grinned and nodded at her.  
"Um. No, it's — it's fine. Because of what happened at… at Beacon… I, um, left, and went back to Menagerie, I have family there. Sun followed me." Elder-Blake almost smiled when Elder-Yang celebrated that she talked.  
"Is your family alright?" Ruby's first question was.  
Elder-Blake nodded. "They are fine. Despite what happened." Elder-Blake told her.

./.

Oscar stood forward. "What happened?" He asked, genuinely concerned, faintly recalling who Blake's parents were.  
Elder-Blake nodded. "The White Fang didn't take kind to us, that's all." She told him.  
They waited for her to continue, and stalled when she didn't. "Blake! Come on, girl! You can't just stop after saying that!" Elder-Yang said woefully, hanging off of Elder-Blake as she did.  
Elder-Blake blinked down at her friend. "Um. Are you okay?" She asked as Elder-Yang dangled from her shoulder.  
"No! You need to continue!" Elder-Yang insisted, looking her friend in the eye, causing Elder-Blake to lean back.  
"Okay! Okay! Fine!" Elder-Blake called, her right ear twitching when Elder-Yang whooped a little too loudly near it as she pulled away.  
"Spill!" Elder-Yang told her brightly and with excitement.

"Once Adam took over the White Fang entirely, those under his lead decided that pacifist Faunus were just as bad as Humans for not seeing their way should they not come over to their vision they were expendable and in league with the old White Fang that caused many Faunus to be enslaved or killed." Elder-Blake said.  
"I never did get to punch him in the face." Elder-Yang snarled.  
Elder-Blake blinked at her. "You could probably still do that — it's not like he's dead or anything." Elder-Blake told her.  
"But that —" Ruby stuttered, looking horrified, causing Elder-Blake to look to the youngest redhead. "He would have caused many innocent people harm? It's not right!" She insisted.  
Both versions of Blake stared at her once they both realised she didn't discriminate, giving both human and Faunus the right of being called a person.  
Her team leader looked at her dead in the eye. "Do you recall when this started? If we can stop Adam before this happens, no one will be hurt. I guess aside from Adam…" Elder-Ruby stated.  
"It started a few months from now, but Adam won't take over for about a year." Elder-Blake told her.  
Elder-Ruby gave her uncle a look, and noted that he and the other adults had taken note of it.

Ruby just looked as if she remembered something.  
"Oh, yeah! Lionheart is compromised too!" She stated brightly.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** As you can probably guess, this probably wasn't the best thing to say in front of adults who have known Lionheart for a long time.

RIP.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary:** Oscar is protective over Ruby, if this wasn't apparent already. Oscar is a little shit. Qrow hates him for it. Ozpin is also completely neutral with just about everything that happens around him and it annoys everyone. Ruby needs to get better at randomly appearing in front of people. Which she doesn't. Tent-building. _Tent sharing_. The world freezes over when Ruby loses Oscar. It starts to worry Ozpin, and freak Qrow out. Blake hates storms.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** I literally can't keep to a schedule, you should know this by now. Romance isn't my forte. We know this by now. If anything looks like shipping, tell me and I'll be majorly surprised because as I've said, I can't write it, nor can I detect when it's gone down that route.

This was meant to be small. Technically _it is_ still small. This wasn't meant to last more than five chapters. Whelp. The eighth chapter is being written, and I don't know how it got there. Seriously. How. I know how this ends. This wasn't meant to last as long as it has. It won't stop. Send help.

In other news – I called the whole Oscar will do a _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ Mind transference thing. And that Oscar hates violence, while Ozpin will literally hand you your ass in training.

This still doesn't have a beta. Formatting still hates me. I'm trying guys.

 _/_

* * *

 _/_

 _Fall asleep to dreams of home, the only place I've ever known — Now the future has me. I see the fire in the sky — See it all around me. I said, "the past is dead, the life I had is gone." Said, "I won't give up, 'til I see the sun." Hold me now, 'til the fear is leaving, I am barely breathing. Hope is slipping through my hands. Gravity is taking hold. I said, "I'm not afraid. That I am brave enough". Crying out: These tired wings are falling I need you to catch me. As I burn, as I break: I can't take it anymore. I return to the place where the water covers over everything — Rescue me somehow…  
— Red_

Chapter 4

Oscar wouldn't say he didn't enjoy the overall horror that settled over the adults pitched around them.  
But he did.  
Qrow was the most expressive.  
Ozpin looked like he would've dropped his cane as far as he dropped his jaw.  
Glynda looked slightly confused.  
Ironwood looked like he was about to explode.

He brightly ignored his Ozpin who scolded him, but he was having too much fun with their expressions.  
Then they erupted.  
"What." Ironwood called out dangerously.  
Oscar's good feeling was gone immediately when he interrupted his voice just as hostile as the step he took towards Elder-Ruby.  
Elder-Ruby reared back, not quite understanding she delivered that news particularly poorly, but she did recognise his malice at her. Oscar put out his arm to cover her protectively, giving Ironwood a slight glare.  
"She is telling the truth." Oscar told him with a growl to make the man back off his friend.  
Ozpin seemed to recover first, and put a hand on Ironwood's shoulder.  
"People have the capacity to change, James." Ozpin told him.

Once Ironwood toned down, Oscar just folded his arms. "At least you guys will go into this knowing." He huffed. " _Shush you. It's different._ " He muttered to himself.  
Ozpin just looked to him, making Oscar flinch, and causing Elder-Ruby to giggle. "How did you find out?" He asked, causing Oscar to side his head automatically.  
"Um. Badly?" Elder-Ruby interjected, making Oscar snort.  
"Yeah, that's one way to put it!" Oscar said. "Qrow flipped it!" He laughed.  
Elder-Ruby notched her head. "…And you didn't?" She asked.  
"Shush you." He told her, booping her nose.  
She scrunched her nose up, causing him to laugh.

Oscar saw that Ozpin was still waiting for his answer and went to sit by Elder-Ruby, who grasped him by his braces hidden under his shirt to help haul him up.  
"He's in talks with Salem." Elder-Ruby told them, causing Oscar to flinch. "Sorry, I know he was your friend." She apologised gently.  
Oscar just shook his head.  
"How did you find this out?" Ironwood asked, noting to keep his tone civil, less the kid version of Ozpin glare at him like he drowned his goldfish again.  
Elder-Ruby shrugged. "Kinda started with how anyone knew where Spring was, since we only knew, and we only told Lionheart. We were sus from then on." Elder-Ruby told them, as more of her teams decided standing was getting old and sat around the table, looking out to the adults.

./.

"Wait, you know where Spring is?" Qrow was the first to ask.  
Elder-Ruby snorted. "Yeah, and you're not gonna like it, either." She told him.  
He understood, and straight out groaned, groaned even worse when he realised he was out of alcohol.

Elder-Jaune looked as if he was finally clued in as to where they were. "That's about where we are right now." He stated.  
Elder-Ruby looked at him and nodded. "Grimm fights with Raven's bandits? In the city of Mistral? Never was going to be a short fight. Too many levels. Too many hidey-holes" Elder-Ruby snorted.  
Elder-Weiss flinched.  
Elder-Ruby looked slightly confused and looked to Elder-Blake. "How did you find us, anyway? There is a lot of ground to cover in Mistral." She asked.  
Elder-Blake gave her a look. "You're not that hard to track. All I needed to do was find the biggest explosions. Weiss's summons took care of the rest."  
Elder-Weiss then snickered. "They thought they were going to get help from you." She told.  
"I took care of that when I shot at them, and landed next to Ruby." Elder-Blake continued.  
Elder-Ruby laughed. "Didn't get much time to even say hello!" She said.  
Elder-Yang shrugged. "Eh. It happens when everyone wants to kill you." She told.

./.

Oscar gained satisfaction from the amount of backwards and forwards the adults did to each person who talked to the next while they tried to keep up.  
"So, there is a Grimm attack on Mistral. Haven specifically." Ironwood was able to manage.  
Oscar nodded. "They are acting on Salem's orders, since the first time she sent them out to Raven, kinda didn't end well." He said.  
"She is after the maidens as well as the relics." Ozpin chimed in informatively.  
"And since she couldn't get Spring from Raven, she went after the relic instead. At the same time, Raven's lot went after it. We were caught in the middle, but both parties weren't averse to fighting each other _and_ us at the same time." Oscar replied.

"Which is how Mistral is left now, since we're here." Elder-Jaune piped in.  
Elder-Ruby stalled. "Uncle Qrow is gonna be packing it." She muttered.  
Oscar looked to her, then started to laugh, so hard he bent over and held his stomach.  
"It's not funny, Oscar!" She implored.  
"It really is!" Oscar replied.  
"Why? He's left alone! He might be able to fight Raven by himself, but not everyone else at the same time! His aura is not that kind!" Elder-Ruby insisted, forgetting her uncle was off to her side. Who was now staring at her in rising horror at that fact.  
"After he dragged me through the entirety of Mistral to your door to make me open it? Hell, it's funny!" He told her, trying to curb his laughter because he knew she disproved.  
Elder-Ruby looked as if she understood, but didn't approve at the same time.

/

* * *

/

They were all thrown out of their conversation when the bell chimed for dinner.  
Most blinked and looked around, having not noticed how long they had been talking for.  
"Food!" Elder-Ruby celebrated, and was off like a shot in an explosion of flower petals, taking Oscar with her.  
Elder-Yang just sighed. "Give her an order, and she really sticks to it, huh? What about us, Sis!" She called happily, she noticed the younger team looking at her. "Ah, Uncle Qrow kinda told her at the start of all this that she needed to stay with him, and they basically haven't left each other's side since. She takes him everywhere." Elder-Yang informed. "It amuses Uncle Qrow to no end. I don't think Oscar minds though." She told them, as she launched herself off the bench she was sitting on.  
Elder-Yang then looked to her Weiss and Blake. "Come on, we better get there before she starts helping Oscar hoarding things." Elder-Yang told them.  
They both nodded and stood up.

"Why is that?" Elder-Jaune asked, curiously as Elder-Ren helped Elder-Nora up.  
Elder-Yang shrugged. "No clue with Ruby, unless you guys ran out of food on your way to Mistral?" She asked as they headed off with the adults trailing in silence.  
"I am offended you would think so!" Elder-Nora yelled.  
"We kept track of our food." Elder-Ren noted.  
"Even if we did lose our map several times." Elder-Jaune muttered. Elder-Nora glared at him, and he noticed. "That was your fault, and you know it!" He retaliated, a little angry.  
Elder-Nora waved him off as if it wasn't important.

Elder-Blake regarded them all. "It might be because of Oscar." She muttered, but her team heard her.  
Elder-Yang looked to her. "How do you figure?" She asked, ignoring that most of the adults were frowning.  
"Well, he grew up on a farm, right? That's what you guys told me." Elder-Blake continued.  
Elder-Jaune nodded. "That's what he told us." He added as they continued up the hall to where food would be served, following the trail of rose petals.  
"Well, wouldn't he be used to doing what we see as hoarding? It's coming into winter." Elder-Blake said.  
"That's possible, Ruby would see him doing something like that, and understand why, I guess. He might not even realise he's doing it anymore." Elder-Yang voiced, then looked to the younger version of her sister. "What do you think?" She questioned.

Ruby blinked, having been put on the spot, and how many eyes she now had on her.  
"Um. What?" She squeaked in surprise.  
Elder-Yang eyed Ozpin, who, again, looked neutral to just about everything that happened around him, then back to her mentally freaking out sister. "Never mind, sis, I guess we'll figure it out later." She said.  
Ruby just looked at her in confusion about her entire involvement in the conversation, and why Elder-Yang had called her out in the first place.

./.

The object of hoarding this time, seemed to be apples.  
Which was a little confusing since they weren't being served in _any_ capacity in any of the dishes that were being offered.  
Though, they did wonder where Elder-Ruby had run off to, since Oscar was by himself, which was something none of them had seen, _ever_ since they met the boy.  
The adults scattered around and gave the children their distance, while still being in earshot.  
Oscar seemed to be making pyramids out of the apples, and only looked up when he sensed Ruby near him, seeing her he shot her a smile, and tossed her an apple.  
"Here!" He said brightly.  
Ruby barely caught the object, having not expected Oscar to chuck her one, she was just glad she wasn't holding anything breakable because she most likely would have dropped it.  
"Um. Thanks?" She questioned.  
Oscar just smiled, with a fond smile that seemed to express his entire face, and chuckle at her response, only to go back to making pyramids.

./.

The entire group left him to his own devices while keeping him in eyeshot as they got their own dinners. What was left of RNJR seemed to take this more seriously than RWBY, but both teams didn't seem to care their leader was currently absent.  
The entire two groups had settled around the tables alongside Oscar, while Elder-Ruby was still AWOL.  
A closed window burst open, which made every head turn to it, in slight alarm at how much force it slammed against the walls, though they looked back to Oscar who had taken an apple and thrown it up in the air, nonchalantly.  
The apple was suddenly caught and surrounded by rose petals – signalling Elder-Ruby's return as quickly as she caught it – she was sitting next to Oscar as if she hadn't been missing for the past five minutes.

/

* * *

/

They noticed silently that both Oscar and Elder-Ruby hadn't retreated to the meals on offer – but stuck with the apples they had pilfered from somewhere.  
"Okay, where'd the apples come from?" Ruby was the bravest to ask.  
Both looked to her with a blink.  
"Oscar noticed the trees around here, so I went and got some." Elder-Ruby told her, and subsequently everyone else.  
Oscar grasped another. "They would've been the last of their season." He noted.  
Right. Farm.  
"So you picked them?" Blake asked before her elder.  
Oscar nodded. "They would have spoiled, or attracted unsavoury characters should they not." Oscar told her as he placed the core with the others they had gotten to already.  
He then looked to his companion. "Do you think they have a compost bin?" He asked.  
Elder-Ruby blinked. "I'll go ask." She told him, and exploded into rose petals again, and was off towards where the cooks were cleaning up.  
In the next second, they heard the cook's subsequent yells of surprise when Elder-Ruby appeared next to them out of nowhere.  
It only served to make Oscar chuckle happily.  
"I need to get better at that…" Ruby mumbled, hearing the surprise yells her elder caused.

Oscar looked down the table to his companion's teams and held out an apple.  
"Want one?" He asked.  
Elder-Nora jumped up in her usual ecstatic way. "Yes!" She yelled. "Ren, you have one too!" She insisted.  
Elder-Ren just sighed as he shrugged, and let his girlfriend do as she pleased. Nothing would stop her anyway. Seeing his compliance, she hugged him and skipped off towards Oscar to get the offered apples.  
"She crawls all over you." Elder-Blake noted.  
Elder-Ren just shrugged tiredly.  
Elder-Yang snorted. "When has she never?" She asked.  
Elder-Jaune just chuckled.

Elder-Ruby appeared back, next to Oscar, as the left-over apples began circulating down the table, and across to the other table the adults were using.  
"They have a bin we can use." Ruby noted as she took the last one.  
Oscar nodded making sure the cores went back to the pile.  
Elder-Ruby got out what looked like a scrapped red-dyed cloth, and handed it to Oscar, who started to move the pile of cores onto it, adding the handed down cores when someone finished.  
Once they were all collected, he stood up, and looked to Elder-Ruby. "Which way?" He asked.  
Elder-Ruby pointed outward. "In the back where the cooks are, they're expecting you." Elder-Ruby told him.  
Oscar gave her a fond glance, and left in the direction she pointed in.

./.

RWBY and RNJR seemed used to them, but JNPR, RWBY and the adults were not, and were either stunned silent or not quite sure what to say.  
But there was a problem rising with so many people at the camp that hadn't been a problem when the camp had been posted. They were overflowing as it was. Sharing was already a thing. It was just a matter of who'd be sharing with who. There were only three different sized tents left anyways.

./.

Oscar returned, folding the scrap of cloth as he went, stepping over his seat, he handed it back to Elder-Ruby as he went.  
"Thanks!" She replied as he handed it back.  
Elder-Yang looked over to her sister and leader. "So, where're we sleeping tonight?" She questioned, curiously.  
Elder-Ruby looked a tad startled as if she hadn't thought of the response to the question.  
"Hmm. That's a good question." Elder-Ruby pondered.

"This is as a good a time as ever." Qrow sounded.  
They all looked to him, seeing he was standing in the laneway between the two tables next to Ozpin who was leaning on his cane outwardly, as genuinely neutral yet curious of them, as always.  
"Yo!" Elder-Yang greeted, giving them both a two-fingered hand salute.  
"I'm not sure how much you students' know about this, but there is limited space here," Ozpin told them.  
Oscar nodded. "That would be true," He answered, hearing Ozpin talk naturally. Then realised which talked and flinched at his mistake. "My bad." He muttered.  
Ozpin handed Oscar a map. "These are the last tents, you'll need to share." Ozpin said.  
Oscar nodded, only to curiously hand the paper over to Elder-Ruby to look over.  
Ozpin seemed fine with letting them sort it out.

./.

Oscar got up on his knees to look over Elder-Ruby's shoulder.  
"What are you thinking?" He asked curiously, seeing her frown.  
Those around her crowded around.  
She pointed to the tent already allocated to JNPR. "I'll leave them." She noted.  
Oscar shuffled through his pockets and gave her a pen he found.  
She looked to both RWBY teams. "You guys mind if you share?" She questioned.  
They all shook their heads – way too tired to care currently, and not really minding where she put them – just as long as they got a bed.  
On the largest tent left she marked her two teams, leaving both herself out. Which was noted by Ruby.  
"Where're'm I going?" She questioned.

Elder-Ruby looked at her as she flipped her pen around her fingers as she thought. "Don't mind staying with us?" She asked.  
Ruby blinked in confusion over who she was talking about. "Uh, sure, but who're…?" She asked.  
Elder-Ruby lost her concentration over her pen and dropped it. "Shoot." She muttered, as she watched it roll under the table.  
"I've got it," Oscar noted, he moved away from leaning against her shoulder, and ducked down under the table, minding people's legs.  
"Thanks, Oscar!" She called as he disappeared under the bench, she looked back to her younger. "I can't leave Oscar by himself, so when I say _us_ , I mean him and me." Elder-Ruby explained.  
Qrow looked about to break that up in a heartbeat, but saw Ozpin's curious look.

Oscar popped back up from under the table. "Here!" He called, holding up the pen in triumphant.  
Elder-Ruby ruffled his hair as she took the pen back. "Thanks!" and she marked down their names on a two-bed tent as Oscar returned to leaning back over her shoulder. Elder-Ruby didn't dislodge him.  
There was one tent left. "Jaune that means your bunking with Nora and Ren!" She called.  
They all watched in surprise that Elder-Jaune glared at his two teammates. "Keep it down." He hissed jokingly.  
Elder-Ren just shrugged, while Elder-Nora looked offended.  
She marked their names against the last tent.

Elder-Ruby handed the map back to Ozpin, who took it from her.  
"With that settled, you can all go." He told them, giving the map back so them, so they could find their way.  
With that, they were finally able to file out, and sleep for the night.

/

* * *

/

The adults weren't exactly good at hiding their confused surprise when Ruby walked into the cafeteria hall, tiredly and hiding a yawn, without Oscar joined to her hip. She had her eyes closed and bumped into Ozpin who had his back to her at the time.  
Qrow hid his snort, while Ozpin turned around, quite aware that she could've hurt herself.  
"Miss Rose." He started, catching her nearest arm to help her straighten up.

She yawned as she had one hand rubbing her eye sleepily.  
"Hey, Professor Ozpin." She said tiredly, with another yawn.  
"Are you quite alright?" He asked, concerned as Qrow got up to look his niece over.  
Ruby nodded and looked as if she was trying to wake up. They were quite astounded she made it to the hall from her tent without bumping into anyone else. She would probably be embarrassed about walking into Ozpin once she was awake enough to care.  
"Where's your little sidekick?" Qrow asked.  
Ruby blinked tiredly from one man to the other. "Lost 'im." She remarked with a tired sniff.  
Both men looked to each other — she must have been out of it to remark that and not sound worried.  
"Are you not worried?" Glynda asked.  
Ruby yawned. "He has Ozpin with him." She said, switching eyes.  
Unbeknown to Ozpin himself, this comment didn't help either Qrow or Glynda feel calm about where the boy had gotten off to.

Ozpin didn't exactly feel comfortable in letting the teen go, feeling her sway even with his help. He looked to Qrow.  
"Is she prone to clumsiness in her current state?" He asked.  
Qrow just looked incredulous. "I've never seen her this whacked!" He insisted.  
This didn't make him feel any better, all for it, it made him feel slightly anxious about letting her go anywhere in her state — aware of how close she was to his successor, Oscar was bound to be trying to find her should he be aware she had wandered off — which in most likelihood, he had.  
"Let's find Oscar, shall we?" Ozpin asked, ignoring Qrow and Glynda's astonished look.  
Ruby just nodded tiredly. "'Kay." She murmured tiredly.  
Ozpin rearranged her gently to make sure he still had a firm grip on her, but she was facing the way out. "See if you can find him." He told Qrow and Glynda while keeping both eyes on Ruby.

./.

Returning to the tent she'd assigned herself the previous night, they found it unnervingly empty.  
They were becoming quite alarmed at how Ruby wasn't able to wake herself in the ten minutes they had been waking.  
"Where were you last, Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked. "Were you in your bed?" He continued.  
Ruby shook her head, he tensed when he felt her sway, leaning his cane against himself he took up putting his palm against her forehead, to check if she were ill.  
It didn't help him when she wasn't either any higher or lower in temperature.  
"Can you show me where you were before you went to the hall?" He asked her.  
She nodded, and took up holding his sleeve, Qrow and Glynda rushed to keep up.

/

* * *

/

Ruby ended up leading them to the training grounds, where teams RWBY, RNJR, and JNPR, were alongside Oscar, who seemed to be holding out his cane as if he were directing them into pairs. They didn't seem to be using their own weapons.  
It only took a second for Oscar to notice them, then make his way over.  
"I was wondering where she had wandered off to," Oscar spoke to them.  
They all blinked at him – it didn't quite sound like Oscar was speaking normally. More like a mixture of Oscar and Ozpin, with a distorted echo. Oscar looked to Ozpin, who hadn't seen fit to let Ruby go. "I was about to go looking for her." He told them.  
Ozpin blinked, a little unsettled about hearing his own voice. "She was looking for you." He said.  
"Lost 'im," Ruby noted.  
Oscar looked up at Ruby, who was still tired. Then blinked in realisation as to what she meant. "Ah. Oscar will be back soon, will you be alright until then, Miss Rose?" Oscar voiced.  
It suddenly made sense as to who was actually speaking, and what Ruby had meant that she had lost him.  
Oscar cocked his head slightly, but not as much as he usually did on previous times hearing Ozpin talk, before looking back to Ruby. "Oscar is worried about you, how about you stay here, and he'll talk to you when we're finished?" He asked in echo.  
Ruby just nodded, while going about rubbing her eye again, but Oscar gently took it away.

Oscar looked back to Ozpin. "Will you be alright holding her for a little longer? She might wander again." He asked, a little hauntingly within two voices echoing each other, though they could hear the overall trepidation bleeding through in the boy's voice.  
Ozpin was fine with watching, so he nodded curiously.  
"Make sure she doesn't rub her eyes. She often forgets it makes things worse." Oscar warned before grinning at Ruby and was off back to both versions of Jaune.

./.

Ozpin looked from his charge to her uncle.  
"Would she be better of sitting?" He questioned, slightly unsure.  
Qrow was still looking incredulous with how fine Ozpin was with all this. "Why are you asking me these questions?!" He asked, slightly scared.

./.

Ozpin was never so mentally happy when Ruby stopped swaying and was able to let her go safely since she still had hold of his sleeve, she wasn't exactly stepping away from him anytime soon.  
He was watching over the field to view the students training when Oscar seemed to do a whole-body flinch and his aura seemed to leave him.  
"Ozpin!" Ruby seemed to come alive with a yell, and was off in an explosion of collective flower petals, away from the person she actually yelled the name of — yet rushing off towards Oscar.  
Everyone on the field seemed to halt in whatever they were doing.  
By the time Ruby reappeared next to Oscar she had time to brace him as he fell forward into her back.

"Miss Ruby?" Oscar voiced, no longer echoy, but seemingly out of breath and pained.  
Ruby moved around the boy, to make sure she held him up by her arms, letting him rest on her. "Are you alright?" She questioned.  
"It's — it's getting harder to do that…" Oscar panted.  
RNJR came in, alongside the rest of Ruby's team RWBY.  
"Are you gonna be okay?" Elder-Jaune asked.  
"We are running out of time." Oscar noted painfully and shook his head into Ruby as if he needed to shake off negative feelings.  
He didn't notice RNJR flinch and look to each other in worry.  
They knew what Oscar had meant — it was getting harder and harder for Oscar to reach Ozpin as the two merged.  
And there was nothing they could do about it.

/

* * *

/

Ruby didn't seem to trust Oscar with his own two feet, so she had him up to move with her teams with a piggyback ride.  
Oscar himself seemed to be half asleep.  
With the prompt sparring session over — they were back to having Ruby lead them.  
And she was walking back towards Ozpin — who hadn't moved.

She walked up to Ozpin, hitching Oscar's dead weight as she did.  
"Thanks for putting up with me before." She told him, with a smile.  
Ozpin literally blinked at her, and quickly looked to the boy limp on her back. He probably owed her a lot more than just helping her find her way back.  
"What happened?" Elder-Weiss asked her leader.  
"It's a little hazy, but I think I wandered the camp trying to find Oscar, having left the grounds where Oscar was." Elder-Ruby told them.  
They looked a little confused. "But you just said…?" Elder-Blake started.  
Elder-Ruby shrugged, moving Oscar along with the movement. "Sleep is weird." She muttered.  
And they thought it best to leave it at that.

Elder-Ruby noticed that Elder-Blake's ear had twitched, and the girl looked up.  
"Blake?" She questioned as she hitched Oscar up again.  
"It's going to rain soon. I can hear thunder." Elder-Blake told her leader.  
Elder-Yang grinned and threw her arm around her friend. "Cat senses tingling? You didn't do very well with the last storm!" She crowed.  
Elder-Blake actually hissed at her. "That storm had it in for us!" She retorted angrily.  
Elder-Yang just laughed.  
"We better get indoors." Elder-Weiss noted, seeing the storm Elder-Blake could hear from some ways off.  
They didn't notice their youngers looks of absolute awe and surprise.

./.

By the time the sky decided to open up and rain, they had all bolted back to the nearest spare hall that had only recently been thrown up to try and help with the influx of refugees from Beacon and its surroundings.  
There were only a few odd ended benches, enough for the following adults, who by now were in question as to why Ozpin seemed to want to keep the children within sight, not that they voiced the question, however.  
The children seemed to know the chairs would be claimed and seemed grateful that they were undercover when the thunder clapped and rained poured down over their heads onto the hall's roof.  
Elder-Blake just flinched at the loud noise, with Elder-Yang patting her shoulder in comfort knowing — all jokes aside — that Blake could hear the storm louder than she ever could.

Oscar was the one that was out of it, as they watched that Elder-Ruby walk over to the nearest wall and lean down in height to gently take the boy off her back, to situate both him and her on the floor, leaning against the wall, with Elder-Ruby making sure that Oscar's head was on her shoulder.  
She looked up to see her younger walking over to her, with a look of concern.  
"Is he okay?" She questioned.  
Elder-Ruby nodded to her. "He's just tired. He'll be fine when he wakes up." She told her with a smile.  
Ruby nodded to her elder, happy with her answer, and watched as her Weiss tapped her elder.  
"You did say last night you would teach me to summon." Weiss asked.  
Her elder looked to her, then nodded. "Alright. We'll try small summons since anything bigger will not fit. And I'd rather keep the roof up." Elder-Weiss said, and walked a little to the other side of the hall for room, with her younger trotting off after her to keep up.

./.

In the time they spent watching, Weiss seemed to be the one struggling to master what tasks her elder set her over the course of the storm to set in hard.  
Ruby was the odd one out and stood to lean her weight from one foot to the other.  
"So…" She started, looking to her elder, who was sitting, quite happily on the floor. "…What do you want me to do?" She asked nervously.

Elder-Ruby, who was watching as Elder-Yang just tripped up her younger having the same conversation her father had given her post Fall of Beacon, knew the younger Yang knew where she needed to head in with self-training.  
Elder-Ruby, seeing this smirked. "Yo! Sis!"  
Both of them turned to her, and she pointed to her younger. "Your next sparring partner." Elder-Ruby noted.  
Ruby almost looked as if she regretted asking.

/

* * *

/

There was only so many times Ruby was willing to get her ass kicked — the seventh time was enough.  
So, she just lay on the floor in defeat while groaning out her woe.  
She looked over to see her elder upside down, giggling at her.  
"Now I can see why I got my ass kicked so much. Yang, you're a terrible teacher!" She laughed and unwillingly jostled Oscar awake in the process.  
"Miss Ruby?" He called tiredly, lifting himself off her shoulder.  
She looked to him with a blinding smile. "Hey, Oscar! How was your nap?"  
He groaned as he stretched, then automatically freaked when he couldn't feel his cane.  
"Where's—?!" He nearly shouted, only to pause when his Ruby tossed him his cane from her weapon store. Causing him to blink. "Uh… Thanks? When did…?" He questioned.  
"When you collapsed." She told him.  
He made a noise of acknowledgement as he nodded.

Ruby got up, and Oscar followed.  
Ruby wandered over to her younger who was still splayed out on the floor.  
"Come on, I'll give you a spar that won't land you on your butt." She told her, giving her hand out to help her out.  
"As long as you don't throw me off my feet!" Ruby insisted as she was hauled up.  
Oscar blinked, then strolled over to the younger Ruby and gave her his cane.  
His Ruby noticed. "Foul play!" She cried.  
Oscar just laughed as he got out the way.  
"Totally unfair." She muttered, making him laugh louder.

./.

For what the cane was worth, it became a good whacking stick when the person wielding it didn't know its full capability — something of which Ruby was excelling at.  
Elder-Ruby burst into petals to dodge a pin and landed next to Ozpin.  
"Mind if I borrow yours?" She asked.  
Ozpin himself was curious as to why Oscar gave the younger the weapon but conceded in handing his over.  
"Thanks!" She yelled, then charged at her younger, who gave out a sound of fright and backed up.

./.

While the two girls were sparing, Qrow made his way across the room to Oscar.  
Qrow watched the boy watch the two redheads with an expression he couldn't decipher. It wasn't something he had seen before.  
"She's going to be sad." Oscar suddenly said.  
Qrow wasn't about to say he was thrown off by the boy suddenly talking.  
"About what?" He asked.  
"Miss Ruby," Oscar started looking up at Qrow. "She will be sad that she won't be able to become friends with me once we leave." Oscar continued, then turned fully to Qrow. "Can I ask a favour?" He asked. Qrow blinked. "Can you make sure Miss Ruby meets me when all this is said and done? She'll …. She'll hopefully still remember me by the time I'll remember her." Oscar asked.

Qrow could hear the hope in the boy's voice. It was a sad hope, but it was still there.  
So, he just sighed. "Sure, kiddo." He remarked.  
Neither were quite remembering, thanks to bad luck, that neither would know how to reintegrate the boy, who might not be a boy by then, into Ruby's life since there were variables at place — such as the unvoiced location of where Oscar actually lived prior to all this, and whether or not any of them would be alive to meet the boy once they had the chance to, even how many years it would pass until when Ozpin himself did eventually pass away.  
But they would hopefully meet up in Mistral all the same.  
They could at least rely on that.

/

* * *

/

Both canes were knocked out of their borrowed owner's hands and went flying out wherein both current owners caught it, not that they were sure which were which, but they didn't seem to mind if there were a switch up.  
Ruby celebrated the fact she was able to knock out her opponent at the same time she did.  
By then, most had realised the storm had gotten worse and was centred around the hall they had taken refuge in.  
"The storm isn't moving." Elder-Blake remarked.  
"That's odd," Elder-Weiss responded, going over to a window. "It seems it hates us." She said.  
Elder-Blake groaned. "Why do storms hate us?" She asked, pouting.

When all of a sudden, the storm's rage was inside the hall, almost as if it had ripped off the hall's roof: it was as if the storm had finally snapped around them.  
Several of the children were lifted off their feet — almost as if they were being sucked up into the vortex above them.  
"Miss Ruby!" Oscar yelled out the loudest and the most fearful when he felt his feet leave the ground helplessly.  
"Oscar!" Elder-Ruby yelled back frantic when her semblance wasn't fast enough to outrun the storm — she couldn't get to him. He was afraid, and she couldn't get to him!  
Several others had taken root by stabbing the floor with their various weapons or holding onto something solid fearing the storm would take them too.  
They couldn't notice it was only targeting those from the different time stream, they only did when half of the room was lifted up off the ground and the others weren't. By the time they realised it, half of them had blinked out of existence in the hall.

Ruby gave out a cry of desperation in her attempt to reach Oscar, with her hand outstretched.  
She never did well when Oscar looked as fearful as he did when he tried to reach her.  
She could feel her teammates getting returned around her, and cried out frantically every time she felt them leave.  
She couldn't leave him! Not alone! What if they landed differently! What if he woke up alone?! She couldn't leave him alone! Never again!  
She cried out again when he was hauled up through the air beside her and she barely snatched his fingers.  
"Gotcha!" She cried in relief as they keened upwards through the air, she didn't care much for the fact she was quite upside down, seeing the people on the floor looking up at her, she caught a glimpse of her younger, who looked up at them terrified.  
She felt that emotion more.  
Oscar looked to her helplessly in stark fear of losing her. "Ru—!" Oscar started before he vanished in front of her.  
It hadn't mattered she had hold of him.

Those below saw the absolute terror and devastation at seeing him leave her.  
His fearful sounding of her name leaving tears sprung up in her eyes before she gave out a devastated cry (" _No…!_ ") that would stay with those below for the longest time in their nightmares to come.  
They watched on helplessly from the ground as Ruby was the last left as tears pooled around the space around the girl as she cried.  
She had lost him. And she was fearful of where he had ended up. Even though she knew in some small back corner of her mind they were being sent back to where they came from, that he would appear next to her as she would him _—_ her irrational and panicked mind was sending her thoughts into overdrive.  
They all heard her sob helplessly at the fact that was would be travelling alone, before she, too, blinked out of existence.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** ...Oops?


	5. Part 2 - Chapter 5

**Summary:** Ruby wanders all of Anima in search of someone who won't even remember her.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** So, technically, everything before this is the result of what happens in this chapter. I finally got up to it. This is the reason the story is called what it is. Hurray! I literally had this part of the story first, then went _well…okay, how'd these characters get_ _ **here**_ _, brain?!_ So, that's a thing. And it came out…really, really depressing. Like wow. Someone give Ruby a hug.

In other news, anyone else realise that there's like one scene with Lionheart, and Oscar's voice over that's left in the trailer? Isn't that a scary thought?

And on scary thoughts, please RT, don't make Best Farm Boy evil. I don't think I could take that.

/

* * *

/

 _The rain now falls, each drop an agony. The war has come, without you next to me. Oh, wandering love,_ _farther_ _with every mile know no defeat through ice and dragon fire. Come back to me, if I fall. Please believe you once loved me, though you don't know me. The arrows fly, points_ _tipped_ _in misery to ruins laid our home, our sanctuary. Smoke fills the skies, all the world's a burning ember. Shall our love die, with no one to remember? Hold onto me and what was, please believe you once loved me, though you don't know me… Come back to me, if I fall. Please believe you once loved me. Though you don't know me…  
—_ _Erutan_

 _Other music for this chapter  
Gareth Coker — Ori & The Will of the Wisps Theme Song  
Joe Hisaishi — The Sixth Station_

Part 2 — Chapter 5

There was one last train of the day boarding to leave Mistral city for its rural outskirts, with only one lone passenger with their blood-red hood cloaking their face and their red torn and tattered cloak for comfort against the bitter cold only they could feel within their heart.  
The lone figure found her seat, and stared out with her silver eyes to the beginning of the rolling now familiar terrain of Mistral as the train started to move.

Ruby had been in Mistral long enough that its greenery and buildings could pass her by without complaint.  
She had seen enough to know she knew the term _needle in a haystack_ by the back of her hand.  
Everywhere she went — the needle in the ever-growing haystack of metaphors that contained her life together since the Fall of Beacon felt that little bit bigger and that much harder to reach.  
She never quite believed she could have been that ignorant of how big the world was.  
Now, she had been on this lone continent long enough to dread how big it actually was.  
And how little hope she had of succeeding in her wish.

./.

Ruby was used to being alone by now.  
But that didn't mean she liked it.  
The ice that had entered her system since what happened never quite left her waking hours and tormented her in her nightmares, screams of her name not meant for her, fear and terror stroke her heart as if it were. A friend gone that she never had enough time with.

Ruby was used to little sleep by now.  
But that didn't mean she liked it.  
Nothing in her dreams comforted her anymore. Amongst the frantic screams of her name — a hand outstretched for her that no matter how hard she chased could she ever grasp in hers. Not even the multitudes of the colours of the many green-hued heterochromia eyes could calm her anymore when all she could see were them looking at her in devastated fear.

Ruby was tired of searching.  
But that didn't mean she would give up.  
This was the last train route to the outside of Mistral.  
It would be her last line before she travelled on foot all over the continent because she would be damned if she left it at that.

She watched the terrain roll past her in a bored stare.  
It was all the same.  
She didn't have much to go on.  
And she hated it.

./.

 _"I just see you."  
_  
 _"Oscar, you got to Mistral by train, didn't you?"_

 _"Well, he grew up on a farm, right? That's what you guys told me."_

 _"I won't have all those conversations with him, I won't have all those spars, all those jokes, those campfires…I won't know you!"_

 _"She's been taking care of me."_

 _"Ru—!"_

./.

Ruby woke up with a snap of her neck, and she gave out a small gasp of panic that surged through her. It gave way to a resigned sigh as she leant back her head against the chair as she waited for the nightmare to pass. She shivered when she recognised it had started to rain.  
She never much liked the rain anymore.

She had her arm over her eyes and she leant back against her seat.  
There was something poking her.  
"Miss…?" A man was saying, and the poking continued. "Miss!" He asked louder.  
Ruby jolted, and turned to see a man wearing a familiar Mistral uniform.  
"Ma'am?" He questioned, holding out what looked like a ticket stapler.  
Ruby blinked before she realised what he was asking her for. "Oh!" She voiced and dug into her back pocket. He now eyed her as she pulled out her already paid for two-way end-line ticket.

"You're going all the way to the end?" He questioned curiously once he took the ticket from her. "What could a young girl like you…?" He continued as he punched her ticket for her ride. He gave it back to her and she filed it away back in her pocket, it was then he noticed her curled up weapon. "Ah. A Huntress, are you? You have a target?" He continued.  
Ruby gave a hum since she was bad at lying she didn't exactly trust herself to speak that her target wasn't exactly what he had in mind. "Can you give me a little idea of the landscape?" She asked.

He nodded. "There's not much out that way, Ma'am, it hardly ever gets any visitors, or Grimm, so you're out of luck if you're going to need any help while out there — you'll be the only person for miles. You might stumble on a farm or two, who knows if they're still in business with the rest of the world going nuts, and the Grimm getting worse, though. But you might be able to use it as a base while you're in the area. Most farmers won't mind a Huntress staying for a while if it means a Grimm clean out." He continued to inform.

Ruby blinked as her head sided to one side as she listened, filing the information away should the information come in handy later. "Any idea of where the nearest one would be? I wasn't able to find any maps of the localised area. A bigger map wouldn't be much help." Ruby asked.  
The man sighed. "There's not much available since there's not much going for it, just word of mouth, I'm afraid." He told her.  
Ruby sighed negatively.  
He looked at her in concern. "Though, I'm sure the nearest farm in the area will be able to tell you more!" He tried to help.  
Ruby nodded. "Thank you." She told him gratefully.  
He smiled. "I'll let you know when we hit the last stop." He told her, then let her be.

./.

There wasn't much to go on, huh?  
That seems to be her life.  
Not enough clues.  
All the empty promises.  
Just one more train, just one more stop.

How long had she been on Anima now, searching Mistral on every train line leading to its outskirts? How long had she'd been away from Vale now? Ruby blinked as she watched the scenery roll past her. Had it been a few months? Had it been a year, already? Had it been longer?  
She didn't consciously count the days anymore.  
It was too hard to.  
It was just one more day she didn't have.  
One more day she couldn't spend.  
One more day searching.  
One more day travelling.

./.

Ruby settled down into her seat, reflectively — how did she ever think she could do this? Find him? Even when she first saw the extensive train map of Mistral. How was she ever that positive, about _anything_?  
She didn't want to say she missed him.  
That she would continue to miss him for her entire life up to the point where she would see him again.  
Because if she admitted it, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop her tears.  
Which would have sounded ridiculous to any outsider should she tell them she knew him less than half a week.  
It was because she knew of this was the reason she set out only days after it happened, with only scraps of conversations to lead her way.

She sighed as she pulled her cloak back around her. She took comfort that she at least only had one continent to search in, and not the entire world.  
But she did wish her search area was smaller.  
Or that her search object would even know her in the first place, even if she did manage to find him.  
But no one ever said that Ruby Rose wasn't determined for a reason.  
Or she gave up that easily, either.

./.

She wasn't quite sure how to tell anymore that while the world around her gave way to hell, the Grimm were still a thing, perhaps Salem was still even a thing, as well — what she couldn't quite grasp was the necessity of her involvement when she felt as she did: like the coldest of winds that would blow in the stories Weiss used to tell about her frozen home in Atlas.  
She would hunt down Grimm, sure, if they were in her way, but she would always find herself back on the next train taking her anywhere in Anima that she hadn't covered yet.

Ruby watched as the scenery outside took a more rural aspect between the forests and trees she took note of anything that remotely looked like a farm, or some type of village that could be in use of a farm or a trade port that could link to a farm.  
But all she saw was trees that made up forests, and derelict villages that once housed life.  
She hated them the most, because she hated the hope they brought when she first saw them before she realised what she was seeing.  
It wouldn't be something that would bring her closer to him.  
How could you mourn someone you knew only for a couple days?

./.

 _"I've been around Oscar for a year, maybe longer, trained with him, even fought beside him too, and I've gotten used to him…"_

 _"...Are you okay?"_

 _"That doesn't change the fact there is a universe she created where there is a friend she never meets. And that to me sounds awful."_

 _"I've managed to make her cry twice in one day, a record I never wanted."_

 _"I would very much like to meet you, Oscar. I have the feeling you're a very important friend to me."_

 _"No...!"_

./.

The wheels of the trains screeched as the train slowed down, waking Ruby from her sleep again like a welcomed sledgehammer to the head that ended her nightmare.  
She looked back outside, and noticed thankfully that it wasn't raining anymore.  
She noticed that the man from earlier was coming back down the carriage.  
"We've reached the last station, Ma'am." He notified her. "There's no more track for you to ride on." He told her.  
Ruby nodded and got up to make her way off the train.

She was greeted with a small ground station that had two lines of track that circled to connect to train house, and each side had a waiting house, with only one having a ticket machine for her to use for when she left this place.  
It was rural, and it was surrounded by mountains and forests.  
There was no place that looked like it sold any type of ammunition — so she was quite grateful she bought as much as she could with what was left of her funds from her ticket, though it would cause a problem to how long she could stay here. She hated the fact that because of her situation she could easily miss Oscar this way.  
There didn't seem to be anything of value — in the shape of a house or otherwise in sight.  
She had no clue where she was.  
And she was totally alone.

Ruby hitched up her backpack to make sure it was buckled as close to her as it could get, she made sure on pure instinct that Crescent Rose was where it should be as well as its needed ammo before she looked down the only dirt path that led away from the station.  
"I'll find you. I _promise_." She muttered before setting off.

/

* * *

/

The first farm she came across was barren, with only a few buildings — and totally abandoned for whatever reason, a reason she didn't want to come across.  
Her heart sunk when the thought came across that she could have been too late to save the people who once called this place home.  
And any number of those people could have been Oscar.

She sniffed as the air blew through her.  
The place would at least afford her a place for the night. Should she be able to sleep.  
She would need to hunt for whatever food she needed. She would also need to defend herself should Grimm find her.  
And if she was about to run out of ammo, she would need to head back to Mistral, to waste money to get money, so she would be able to stock back up and come back once she had taken on enough anonymous missions to pay for everything.  
It was an endless cycle that she wasn't able to get out of ever since coming to Mistral.  
She had seen other huntsmen do the same.  
She was pretty sure it was called _wasting one's life away_.

./.

She found herself entering the loft space in her attempt to get out of the outside cold.  
She found a bed turned down invitingly with the room's lamp sprawled out on the floor with broken glass as if its owner had left quickly and long ago.  
Ruby made her way over to the bed, unbuckling her bag as she went to dump it by the bed alongside her scythe, only to crouch down to pick up the broken glass lamp to inspect it quietly.  
It seemed to be a gas working lamp, and its workings didn't seem broken, so she moved it around in her hands to find its switch to flip it on to see if it still worked.  
It clicked several times before it stuttered into life, the flame growing in size in its home and brought warmth and colour to the room.

Ruby brought the lamp back up to the workstation by the bed, its more probable home then the ground where it had fallen.  
She looked around the room with a sigh, not catching anything personal to its previous owner: she couldn't stay long, the night perhaps, and be gone by first light if she were to keep whatever caused this place to become abandoned unaware of her presence.  
There was always a reason. And she ever wanted that reason to find her.  
Whether the place was just recently abandoned or had been left to time. The reason was always left behind.

She collapsed onto the bed, curling up her legs, making sure her scythe was against her back, and she stared out to the lamps flickering light, glowing in the almost setting sun.  
One more day.  
One more place searched.  
No closer was she to her goal.

Ruby sighed as she closed her eyes lightly to watch the flame flicker beyond her eyelids.  
At least the wind sounded the same.

./.

 _"Well, even if it's gonna be painful to not ever meet him, why not make some memories now? That way it might not be as hard when they go back to where they came from?"_

 _"You are forgiven Miss Ruby Rose. You've never done it."_

 _"I would like that very much Miss Ruby Rose."_

 _"Hello, Miss Ruby!"_

 _"You can't be responsible for everything, Ruby..."_

 _"We are running out of time."_

./.

Ruby woke hard and instantly found her scythe to point it out to the poor unsuspecting fired-out lamp.  
She sighed, lowering her weapon, seeing that what woke her was only internal, and nothing that could harm her more physically than they already had.  
She got up to stretch and look out the window to see the sky gently start to colour, looking around she thought it best to leave as she came.  
And leave this place to its burden of its memories.

/

* * *

/

Ruby hated being by herself in any capacity.  
But she loathed being by herself once she realised there were people around and she would need to socialise with them.  
She had been by herself for gods knew how long, and she feared talking to people like she was fifteen again.  
But seeing people about always gave her hope that she could make the place a base for her to come back to as she searched the surrounding area for farmland.  
She just needed to ask for it and hope they didn't ask for payment for her stay.  
Since she had no lien of any kind.

Ruby hadn't met many people who turned away a Huntress, once they realised that she was one.  
She got the most question of _why are you by yourself?_ And _you're_ — _how old?_ Equalling each other for top contending for how many times they were asked. _What are you doing here?_ Was a close third as well.

Most were grateful to see a Huntress and pointed her in the direction of the nearest Grimm population.  
She came across, what looked like a popular village, that seemed well protected, with that she knew she couldn't stay long. Since the place was protected there'd be little way of her to barter her stay.

But bars were always a good source of information.  
Not that many served just straight up milk, which always served to annoy her. The looks they gave her annoyed her too. Which always changed into respect when she pulled out her scythe to prove her worth.

./.

There wasn't much she could do to keep her anonymity since the bar door decided to sound like she slammed it open, and all eyes automatically turned to her.  
It was times like these she realised she hated being by herself.  
She entered, making sure the door shut behind her, and that Crescent Rose wasn't visible, since the last time she entered a bar and her weapon was, unfortunately, visible, she unwillingly started a bar brawl because she apparently looked at someone the wrong way. That day had not been a very good day for her.

She hopped up onto a bar stool and noted the bartender was looking at her in astonishment.  
"I've not seen you in here before." The bartender said once he found his voice.  
She wondered if her attire had caused his stare, it wasn't exactly _new_ anymore, her high stockings had holes in several places, making the rose print look slightly whacked, her cloak had torn and teared in several places over her search, as well. It wasn't as if every time she got involved in a Grimm attack she could buy new clothes! The ones she wore currently cost enough as it were!  
"Eh," She started, shrugging. "Just passing through." She told him, and then drummed her fingers on the wooden counter.  
The glass the man was cleaning looked over clean by now, she noticed as he stared at her.  
"You're…A Huntress?" He questioned.  
She nodded. "On my way to my mission." She pointed out.  
Her admission gave the man a sigh of relief, that raised her eyebrow.  
"Do you…want something?" He asked.

She gave a blink, and her eyes wandered over the adult beverages on show. Seeing them, she doubted this type of bar would have milk. So, she mentally sighed, even if it were, she wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway. "Got on tap water?" She asked for instead, knowing on tap was free.  
The man looked equals amount of relief and grumpy about what she asked wasn't adult but meaning she wouldn't cough up money for it, either.

He went and got her a glass.  
"So, I've heard that word of mouth is best around here." Ruby steamrolled into saying, wanting to leave as soon as she could.  
The man nodded. "That's true. What are you after?" He asked, getting to the point, which in turn earned him a mental plus one point from Ruby.  
"My target area is in nearby farmlands, though they neglected to say _which_ , so, any around?" Ruby asked.

The man actually needed a second to think. "I can think of legit only one that might be still running that would remotely need any protection." He said.  
Ruby blinked. "Good enough for me, which way?" She questioned.  
"Hmm. Well, if you came from the station, you would have run through the old wheat farm," Ruby nodded. "Then you've gone off the beaten track a bit, haven't you?" He pondered.

Ruby sighed, she lost track of the road when she found the farm, she couldn't see any road aside from the one that brought her up from the station, even from the highest advantage point near the abandoned farm, all she was able to see was the village she was now in, and naturally where she came from.  
"I lost the road when I found the farm." Ruby told him.  
He nodded. "I get that." He said. "Well, if you head east from here you'll find it again, it'll lead you straight up to the farm, either that or you'll find yourself back at the station." He said.  
Ruby couldn't help but groan, she had wandered around in circles.  
She could very well lose a day like this.

Ruby sighed, as she moved her empty glass towards the bartender.  
"Thanks, anyways!" She said, with a small smile.  
Then left without another word.

/

* * *

/

She found the path to the east, like the bartender had told her.  
With her finding it, she made sure to slingshot herself up the nearest, tallest tree to make sure she was heading away from both the town and the station.  
Which she was.  
She had lost enough daylight as it was.

By the time she found the farm, it was nightfall, and there were no lights of any kind in any of the buildings that in the dark that could tell her if they were derelict or not.  
She was in two minds in hoping for both.  
One for Oscar to be here, somewhere, and let her long search just end, and that she wouldn't need to wake up in fright unless there were screaming involved.  
The other, for it to be abandoned so she wouldn't need to speak to anyone, and so she wasn't trespassing in the night.

But hopefully, if someone owned the place, they would be alright with her sneaking in, and finding some corner to sleep in until she could take a proper look around with the help of the sun.  
She brought out her scroll, in the days since Beacon Tower fell, it was a glorified torchlight this far out until the Tower was rebuilt, and once they found a way to deal with the Grimm Dragon frozen solid on top of its ruins.  
She searched the nearest building for a way in and hoped it wouldn't screech on her opening it, heaven forbid while she was closing it, either.

./.

It took her ages to find the man-sized door in the bigger door, it took her that little bit longer to find the hidden handle to open the hatch.  
But she persisted, and she found it.  
Then thanked any god still watching her, the door didn't scream when she opened it, blessed them when she closed it just as quietly.

It was warm inside, she gave a quick cursory look around, and saw signs the farm was a live-in one — so sleeping up in the loft was a big probable no-no, since probably someone lived there, and opening the door to find out was also a big no-no, in case someone was actually in there.  
She had done that once, on accident, that night had not been a very good night indeed. There was so much about men she didn't know, and far more she found out that night that she _really_ didn't want to find out.

So, instead, Ruby found a corner out of sight by piles of hay that caught her attention shimmering in the moonlight. So she wouldn't be seen by anyone living here in the morning, since there was only one small window on her direct wall, sunrise wouldn't wake her in time, and she was super sure that any farmer living there woke with the sun with a precision she didn't have without her Grimm sensors going off.  
She blurrily looked up and noticed if the farm-hand happened to look down, they would be able to see her, so she deposited some more hay around her hidey spot, and over her as well in hopes she wouldn't be seen.

Once she settled down, she was able to hear the quietness of the night.  
There were no far-off sounds of the Grimm, which she found slightly perplexing since the humans that lived here were open and exposed.  
They probably had no fighting experience, so she couldn't quite grasp why they were so far off, they were non-existent.  
Unless there was something else to draw their attention, she noted that away in her mind to figure out later when she could hopefully use this farm as a base to find other farms.

Ruby disliked not being able to see where she was when she came into a place at nightfall, too many hidey holes for rats to hide in, both physical and metaphorically speaking.  
Too many chance encounters with Grimm had set her dislike up into an obsession she loathed.  
She gave the ladder and the door beyond it one last look before she unbuckled her bag, and unlatched Crescent Rose to hide both in the hay, giving her surrounding a glance, from each wall, to the door, she heaped hay over her head, and prayed to any god left she'd be alright come morning.

./.

 _"You must be good friends."_

 _"I'm not much younger_ _than_ _you."_

 _"I can't leave Oscar by himself."_

 _"They basically haven't left each other's side since."_

 _"She is telling the truth."_

 _"Ruby—!"_

./.

She woke slowly to what she thought was a door being slammed open, but it took her awhile to realise that was a big problem, and careened up in fright, her weapon curled out and in the open.  
Only to find the door was actually open. Whereas last night it was closed.  
It was day.  
And she was by herself.

Until, heart pounding, a second later, she realised she _wasn't_.  
There was a startled noise off to the other side of the barn, where the sink was, and the squares of hay were stacked, now that she could see better.  
She could also see the farm boy staring at her, frozen on the spot from putting his pitchfork down, having spun around having heard her. She stalled in searching the boy from his black hair, to his freckles, to his heterochromia green-hued eyes.

Hay crunching under her foot was the loudest thing when she unconsciously moved towards him, with her silver eyes wide.  
He ended up screaming and tripping over his own feet at the very sight of her appearing out of nowhere.

On the other side of the farm, a lady's voice rang out:  
 _"Oscar! You be careful with those tools!"_


	6. Part 2 - Chapter 6

**Summary:** A Farmboy and a Huntress try and make it through as the seasons of Mistral change them both.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** This entire chapter is written from _Oscar's perspective_. Keep that in mind when reading.

Do you know hard it was to come up with a summary that didn't include the words "rose garden"? Every thought of describing I had to change because that's where it went. I kinda wanted to be better than to use it as a descriptor.

On other related RWBY news, anyone else spend that scene with Oscar and Ruby fretting about why Oscar had picked up his bag? That and mumbling _"please don't leave"_ over and over again because holy crap. I cried when he did. give the poor Farmboy a hug. And I kinda don't wish for Farmboy to turn out to be evil X_X meeep. Send help. I might retcon myself if it's true.

/

* * *

/

 _Loving you forever, can't be wrong. Even though you're not here, I won't move on. That's how we played it. There's no remedy for memory — it won't leave my head. Your soul is haunting me and telling me that everything is fine. But I wish I was dead, like you. Every time I close my eyes, I'm that you won't be waiting on the other side. All my friends ask me why I stay strong, tell 'em when you find true love it lives on — and that's why I stay here. But there's no you, except in my dreams tonight. I feel you in my sleep telling me I'm fine tonight.  
—Tania Zygar & Matt Lange  
_

 _Other music for this chapter  
Gareth Coker — Ori & The Will of the Wisps Theme Song  
Karmina — All the King's Horses  
_  
Part 2 — Chapter 6

Oscar really hadn't expected his day to differ from the norm.  
He woke up the same.  
Went and did his chores.

Then all of a sudden, his day _changed_.  
He froze solid when he heard the hay on the other side of the barn rustle, as if they were being disturbed.  
He _really_ hoped it wasn't a Grimm.  
He really didn't feel like dying prematurely.

So, he sprang around, expected to see some type of Grimm, only to pause when he saw the most ridiculous of things he never thought he would see in his barn.  
The sudden appearance of a blood-red cloaked human, pointing a rather large scythe in his direction.  
He wasn't expected _that_.

Oscar must have made some type of noise, because the person sprang to life, _and stepped towards him_.  
He screamed in panic, and pitched backwards away from the phantom.

./.

There was a massive metallic-on-wood _thud_ , as if some type of machinery had dropped.  
He felt like he had paused from falling over, when he realised someone had caught him, mid-fall, theoretically saving him from finding the floor with his face.

Oscar was hung in limbo, but he could see that the person turned out to be female.  
But her eyes were a pretty colour, was the first thought through his head, and he was super grateful that it hadn't made its way to his mouth.

" _Whoopsie_ – _daisy…!_ " The woman strained, she was the only thing Oscar had holding himself up, because his balance was shot because of her _eyes_.

She was able to right him, and he noticed several things dumbly with his mouth hanging unattractively open.  
Her hood had fallen back, most likely when she decided to save him, to reveal black with red tipped hair.  
Her massive scythe must have been the thing that caused the sound he heard as he fell, since it wasn't on her person anymore, and on the floor where she _had_ been.  
How she got from one side of the barn to him in a second flat, he couldn't figure out.

./.

Oscar was a little grateful for the fact he wasn't the only one staring.  
She was too.  
He shook himself mentally.  
"I thought you were a Grimm sneaking around like you are! You scared me!" He told her in reproach, finally finding his voice box. He was also extremely thankful his voice didn't break as he spoke.  
The woman blinked down at him, she was taller than him — either half or a full head taller, his brain annoyingly supplied. Women hated smaller guys, he apparently knew. He mentally kicked himself for thinking that, and for thinking he needed a growth spurt.  
"I'm sorry. That really wasn't my intention to scare you." She apologised, sounding truthful at least.  
She was probably older then him to— _and_ his brain could go away now anytime it felt like it.

Oscar blinked at her while mentally kicking himself for his thought process.  
Not many people came out this way.  
Not unless they had reason to, anyway.  
"What are you doing out here anyway?" Oscar asked her, as she flittered around him and back to her scythe, and it vanished onto her person.  
Like.  
 _How_.  
It was huge!

She turned back to him, smiling.  
It was a pretty smile.  
And another mental whack to Oscar.  
"I was looking for someone." She told him, a tad vaguely.  
Oscar felt his heart sink. She hadn't meant to find him, of course _—_ she was just here accidently. She was meant to be somewhere else, had someone else to be with.  
"Huh. Did you ever find them?" Oscar could give himself props for being civil, having no clue why he didn't wish this girl to leave him so suddenly.  
Her head went to one side, but that smile never dissipated. "I found you though, didn't I?" She asked.  
Oscar looked at her; perhaps she actually had no actual destination, or a particular person in mind? In that case, why did she stop here? …When did she stop here? Of all places? Oscar would have recalled vividly had he seen her yesterday, or any day before for that matter.

But he did chuckle at her answer, why he couldn't say. "I guess you could say that. I'm Oscar, by the way! Oscar Pine!" He told her brightly, with his hand out to greet her.  
He saw for a miniscule second that her small smile flinched painfully, before it was gone again. "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose." She told him, meeting him half way to put her hand in his to shake hands.  
He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Ruby!" He told her.  
Thankfully his thoughts stayed inside his head.  
He could be grateful for that.

./.

Oscar could guess she was a Huntress, he had read about them.  
Not that he had seen any before, or could compare her (not that he wanted to), _or_ that she told him.  
Maybe they all had oversized farming tools.  
Though, he didn't think she would use it like he would use his billhook for.  
Of that, he was certain.  
Oscar mentally went through his chores, and found he didn't have any to do until the afternoon.

He watched her look around herself, as if she hadn't seen the place before.  
Which was odd, she had to arrive somehow.  
"So, uh, what, what are you doing here?" Oscar asked, internally cringing at his delivery.  
She looked at him, and took an incredibly long time in deciding what she was going to say.  
Perhaps she was just a wandering Huntress?  
…They didn't kill people, did they? She wasn't some sort of embodiment of the Grim–Reaper, was she?!  
Ruby blinked at him. "…Hunting Grimm." She decided on an answer.  
It was rather vague since the last time he heard of the Grimm they had destroyed the previous farm area, and that had been a while ago.  
Maybe it took her that long to get here?

"Did you come from Mistral?" Oscar asked, in interest of her.  
She nodded.  
Ah. That would have been why. Perhaps she had a previous assignment and hadn't been able to get here before now.  
"Well," Oscar noted, picking up his pitchfork, and leaning it against the stacks of hay. "There's not many sightings of Grimm here, so I really can't understand why anyone would come out so far." He continued, looking back to her. "You might get bored out here, if this is your assigned area." Oscar told her.

It wasn't as if he knew how Huntsmen and Huntress' worked! But he hoped he got the wording right at least, so he didn't sound like an idiot.  
But she gave him an almost blinding of smiles that lit up her entire face, that he doubted she cared for his wording of her career choice.  
"Don't worry! I'll protect this place with my life!" She said, heatedly.  
And not for a second did he doubt her.  
Why, he couldn't say.

/

* * *

/

Oscar had no clue of what Ruby did on the days she wasn't in his life.  
Sometimes she would just disappear, but it never lasted more than seven days tops before she'd be back in his peripheral vision, watching him go about his day, freaking him out. Sometimes it would be so sudden, and sometimes it would come on slowly — her need to disappear, for whatever reason. He could never discern any reasons for her leaving.  
For some reason, no matter her actual reason for running, she always told him when she was leaving, and her approximate return day.  
For whatever the reason she had, it made him feel calmer, and for him to mentally count the days, until he kicked himself for it, and to stop staring off into the distance where'd she left in.  
She was just assigned to the area, he just _coincidently_ resided in it.  
She didn't like him in _any_ capacity.

./.

And no matter what she did, she always frightened him, when she returned, which in turn made her frighten herself.  
It always made him feel stupid.  
He hoped it wasn't the case for her.  
He was sure she was skilled enough for it not to let it embarrass her.  
He had come to find that out of all the flowers, he started to like red roses.  
Not because of her, or anything.

How she worked confused him.  
Where the flower petals came from, when they weren't in season, confused him.  
But she never seemed to worry about it, so it must have been normal.

Even if it did frighten him.

Oscar stared at her form, from way on top of the tallest building his farm had.  
What.  
 _"What is she doing?!"_ He near freaked, his thoughts blurting out of his mouth uncontrollably.  
Ruby looked down to him once his voice carried up to him.  
She lifted her arm over her head and waved at him. "Hey! Oscar! I'm back!" She yelled, happy as a clam.  
He stared at her in terror.

It must have been something normal for her, but she came down after he didn't return her greeting and continued to stare at her in horror.  
He knew he had done something wrong, when she had that pained look on her face again.  
Oscar sighed. "Look, okay, I _know_ you can do that petal thing, but seriously, you could fall and hurt yourself!" He scolded out of fear.  
Ruby blinked at him, and suddenly the pained expression was gone, and the small smile was back. "Oscar! That _petal thing_ makes sure I don't hurt myself!" She told him, possibly for the third time.

Oscar just eyed her in disbelief.

/

* * *

/

Oscar was starting to hate the times Ruby needed to leave for more than her usual amounted days to go back to Mistral, she said it was because she had spent her amount of ammo for that ridiculous sized scythe of hers on Grimm around the farm. Not that he ever _saw_ the Grimm she slew, or how far she needed to travel to slay them, but whatever.  
He hated it because she needed to go back to Mistral. Where she could, in most likelihood, if she wanted to — pick up another assignment and never been seen by him again.  
And he hated that he counted down the days she was away until she was due back.  
And how everyday he looked to where she slept in the barn every morning, in case she came back early.

./.

"Why do you sleep here?" Oscar asked, miffed that she wouldn't stay anywhere else.  
Ruby gave him a look that Oscar froze at, she looked about ready to cry. "…You…You don't want me here?" She asked, trembling.  
Oscar froze.  
 _Oh hell no_.  
He took hold of her hand subconsciously in a need to calm her. "No! That's not it! I just thought you wouldn't be comfortable sleeping here!" Oscar near yelled, freaked out that he might be cause of her to leave.  
He didn't want to send her away…!  
Even if he hadn't told his aunt she was here, or that half his meals were going to her. Not that Ruby knew it was half.

"…I can stay?" She asked.  
"You can stay, you don't need my permission to use leftover hay, Ruby!" Oscar admonished. "I'm just annoyed it's not an actual bed you're sleeping on." He told her, grumpily.  
He hated he couldn't provide that comfort to her, since she refused to take his bed, or linens.  
Ruby just ended up smiling that smile of her that were starting to make his insides go weird.  
"Your leftover hay is fine, Oscar. I'm not uncomfortable at all, and it _is_ closer to the door." Ruby told him.  
And good feeling gone, just like every time she reminded him why she was here with him.

./.

Oscar was surrounded by flower petals suddenly.  
"Ruby!" He yelled, tripping over his plow.  
She caught him just as fast, by the tips of his fingers.  
"Sorry, Oscar! I won't do it again!" Ruby yelled, not for the first time, having scared him on her return.

./.

His basket full of apples was yanked out of his hands as the wind took a turn and shade of red.  
"Ruby!" He yelled as she shook the trees with her return.  
"Sorry!" She yelled back.

./.

"Hey." Ruby voiced.  
Oscar screamed at her suddenly being behind him.  
"Sorry! I swear I'm not doing this on purpose!" She screamed.

./.

Oscar noted that Ruby got better at her return, so he wouldn't freak out at her sudden reappearance. She had tried so many ways to tell him she had returned, from extreme sudden returns to just popping up — none of them ceased to not freak him out when she appeared suddenly where a second ago she wasn't.  
Though, somewhere along the line, she started returning either in the night sometime, or after he retired for the day, at least, because all recent times he could find her the morning she said she'd return lying in her hay pit, snoring as if she never left, one hand laid out near where he knew she kept her scythe under all that hay.  
He made sure to keep the hay stocked, even on the days she wasn't there, since it was the only thing she deigned to sleep on.

./.

"Hey, Ruby?" Oscar asked as he picked apples from his orchard.  
"Hmm?" She voiced, having been lounging on the branch of the tree he was tending to.  
She had tried to help, once. That had been a disaster. From picking the fruit, to transferring them, to even just holding the baskets, she _sucked_ at farming. Why she thought she would be good at it, so suddenly, he wasn't sure. But she hadn't tried again, for whatever reason.  
So, she kept him company, and he was extremely grateful to her.  
It made work less boring.  
Nowadays he pretending not to notice the pained look she sometimes had.

"Why do you come back here from Mistral? Is your assignment not over yet?" Oscar asked, keeping an eye on her, and the other on the apples that he needed to pick for the coming winter.  
She paused in whatever flittering around she had been doing, and stared at him for a long time.  
Oscar really had no clue what she thought when she did that, but she did it _a lot_ , when he asked certain questions, or whenever that pained look came back.  
He hated that look on her face.  
It didn't belong there.

"Well, I like it here." Ruby told him.  
"But why?" He asked.  
He kicked himself for making that look return, and for sending her mute again.  
She sometimes looked as if his questions hurt her, and made her want to cry. Instead she just shut down.  
She hadn't cried on any occasion, but he had a feeling he would hate her crying. Whether it be his fault or not.

/

* * *

/

He was worried.  
Winter came hard and sudden the first time since he met Ruby, and Ruby had just made it back. He had retired later that day after trying to clear up the snow from the fields and laneways.  
He heard the door slam open.  
He heard it slam shut.  
Then he heard Crescent Rose fall to the ground.  
And with that he was out of bed.  
She never threw that weapon around, she loved it too much.  
Something was wrong.

Oscar flew out of his room, and he didn't remember taking the ladder down.  
"Ruby!" He called, seeing her bent over by the barn door.  
Ever since the early days he made sure to light lamps in the barn for her. So, he could see her clearly if she were there, and so she wouldn't blunder on any tools she couldn't see.  
She was hunched over, and flinched when she heard him.  
Ruby looked up, tiredly. "Ah. Sorry, Oscar. Did I wake you? Sorry…" She apologised breathlessly.  
Oscar eyed her critically. "Are you hurt?" He asked.  
In all the time he knew her, she had never once been hurt, thankfully. Something about those rose petals, and a healing ability that he scoffed at because rose petals couldn't heal a person!

Ruby just shook her head.  
"Nope! I'm just a little tired!" She told him.  
Oscar saw the little patches of snow on her cloak in wild contrast to its blood-red colour, and absentmindedly wiped them away, noticing her silver eyes went wide at him doing it — he immediately stopped, and laughed nervously.  
"Ah! Sorry! If you're tired, go to sleep!" He said a little too loudly and a little embarrassed.  
Ruby smiled at him. "Sure." She noted, and he made sure she got to her hay that she still insisted on using.  
"Are you sure…?" He asked.  
She smiled as she sat down and unbuckled her bag. "I'm sure!" She replied.  
She knew what he was asking — he asked every time he caught her at bed time. Every time he implored her to use his bed instead.  
She shot him down with that god damn smile he couldn't say no to anymore, if ever.

./.

He woke a little later in the winter months, as his only duties for winter, aside from staying alive, was to check on the field shelters and caring for the animals in the barns around the farm.  
He hopped down his ladder, and gave Ruby a cursory glance as he moved over a lamp nearer to help her to keep her warm. She never woke when he did, she never attempted it, she'd be up in a few hours, in the hours, as she said, when _decent_ folk woke up at. He had laughed for days because of that.

Oscar went through his checks, and noted he had finished before midday, and was a little worried that Ruby hadn't come and found him like she usually did once she woke up.  
Having not had Ruby in for a winter season, he had hoped she had enough sense to stay in the barn, where it was warm and to not try and find him out in the snow.

He only let the door open wide enough so he could slip through, hoping he didn't bring the chill with him.  
"Ruby? I'm back!" He called happily as he shut the door behind him, immediately liking how warm it was compared to outside. He walked over to her while trying to warm his hands. "Ruby?" He called, seeing she was still asleep. Then saw her breath was stunted. "Ruby!" He yelled, and rushed over to her to shake her shoulder immediately in concern.  
She groaned out in fevered pain.  
That was it! His thoughts snapped. She would no longer sleep in the hay!  
Oscar looked up at the rafters, and saw a way he could lift her into his room without dragging her unconscious butt up the ladder somehow.

./.

For how small she was (and annoyingly, considering how _smaller_ he _was_ compared to her), her dead weight was hard to lift up into the loft even with the pulley system he rigged up.  
Oscar made sure her scythe as detached, because holy damn as that thing _heavy_ , and her bag, _and_ all her ammo packs she had everywhere on her. Aside from that, it was just her, the pulley system, and his ass trying to pull her up in minimal time and harm to her, because every time she groaned and coughed it sent him into further panic mode over her.  
He would need to get her stuff once he dragged her into his room, into his _bed_ , and apologise to her immensely once she was coherent enough to realise he had touched her without her consent and dragged her into his room, which she was abhorrent in entering in the first place.

./.

Oscar nearly fell into her once he finally had her on the bed, had he not keened over her to place his hands over her onto his bed, so he wouldn't be touching her.  
He slid to the ground with a groan of strain having pulled her from the landing.  
He wouldn't remove anything on her person more than he had already, and hopefully she wouldn't use that scythe to murder him. Though, in most likelihood he would need to remove her shoes at some point.  
He panted then got back up to check her, her breathing was still abnormal, but she was warmer then what she was when he first got to her.  
He eyed her boots, seeing the most complicated system of keeping said boots on her person, he meticulously went through each and every buckle to get them off her feet.  
If anything, they'd be soaked, and not helping her health.

Oscar grumbled under his breath, this girl had a fascination with buckles or something! She had a buckle for everything and a billion more for that very thing! How she got ready for the morning, he had no clue!  
But he knew he made the right decision in tackling her shoes to take them when after forcing the first away from her foot, he could tell they were soaked. Damn he was glad she wore toeless tights, and socks.  
Because _nope_ , he would be dead if the tights needed to go too.  
He wasn't quite sure, if, in their multitude ripped state she would be able to wear them again.  
She hopefully wouldn't kill him for taking her shoes off in the first place.

./.

Sighing, he got up, taking her shoes and socks with him over to his chest to lay out the socks so they would dry and placed her shoes there out the way as he listened to her breathing intermitted with her coughs.  
He really would need to insist her staying up here over the winter, or at the very least her stay at the nearby village and her lessening her need to go out and return during the night, if she were determined to stay during the winter months.  
It got too cold for her to be doing things like that, and winter officially only started a few days ago.

./.

He left, unwillingly, to go get her stuff, he literally needed to haul Crescent Rose up the same way he did its owner.  
Heaven forbid should he _drag_ it.  
Oscar put her bag and ammo packs by her boots, and her scythe by the door, because hopefully she would be able to see it was still near her and not immediately try and grab it and cause him harm.

He sighed, as he sat down and lent his back against his chest, leaning one arm on one upturned knee, watching over her.  
Perhaps Ruby wasn't used to the cold wherever she was from? Maybe she wasn't from Mistral? Wait, did Mistral City get as cold as it did here?  
He would need to check, since he vaguely remembered his aunt had books on Mistral, whereas he currently didn't.

Oscar sighed again, and lent his head on his chest, looking up at the ceiling for moment before closing his eyes, he really hoped Ruby wasn't too ill, had gotten to her before it got worse, else he would need to tell his aunt, and let said aunt … know about Ruby.  
Something his aunt didn't know of yet.  
He closed his eyes as he listened to Ruby's breathing even out, with a little less coughing involved, and his shoulders sagged in relief, and only then did he nod off.

/

* * *

/

Oscar woke with a fright when he hear Ruby screaming.  
He bolted up and his eyes flew open in a second flat, only to stall in helplessness.  
She was dreaming.  
If one could call it that.  
"No…! Come back!" She yelled.  
He broke, and went for her.  
"Ruby!" He said, trying to be loud enough over her, but calm at the same time as he grasped her shoulders.  
"No…! Don't go…!" She continued.  
Her pained screaming shot right through him, and pained him in areas he didn't knew he had, and brought unconscious tears to his eyes.

"Ruby! It's okay! You're okay…!" He tried, not knowing how to calm her wherever she was.  
She only whimpered, but she stopped yelling.  
"It's okay…" He told her again. "You're okay." Oscar continued.  
Ruby seemed to want to grasp onto something in her dream, but she never seemed quite capable, and caused her to whimper.  
Seeing her needful gesture, he immediately took hold of her hand.  
He watched as the effects were immediate, and she quietened down and latched onto his hand, as if she were afraid he'd let her go.  
"Foun' you…" She muttered.  
"I've got you, Ruby" He murmured back, for whatever her dream was about, whoever she was chasing: he could fill those shoes for a little bit, if only to let her calmly sleep.

./.

Oscar woke up after having fallen asleep by his own bedside, holding her hand, because she wouldn't let him go.  
He would need to apologise to her when she woke up if she remembered any of it.  
Oscar tugged his hand away gently, and sighed when she finally let go. Feeling her forehead, he knew that when she woke up she would feel like usual.  
He sighed in relief, and looked to the snow flurries he could see outside his window.  
He had work to do, but he didn't want to leave her.  
She was hard to wake up, he found previously, and he loathed to do it.

"…Hey, Ruby?" He started, shaking her shoulder a little.  
She moaned and shifted her body to her side to get away from him.  
It made him grin. "Ruby…" He repeated a little louder.  
"Hmm…?" She made a little noise grumpily.  
"I'm going to do my chores, stay here, I'll be back soon, okay? It's cold outside." Oscar warned.  
She whined. "Warm here. Stay here." She was able to say before she fell back asleep.  
Oscar chuckled, before leaving her be.  
He kind of hoped he would be back before she woke completely so he could explain before she jumped to any conclusions, or loaded that scythe of hers at his face.

./.

Oscar was able to get back into the barn before the snow storm got worse.  
Closing the door had been the most fun he had in ages.  
But, before he really had time to think about it, he was up the ladder and in the loft to check on Ruby.  
Now that he was in his room, he wasn't quite sure what to do seeing she was awake, and sitting up in his bed.  
But the sigh of relief coursed through him, and his shoulders sagged in the very same relief.

Ruby looked to him, in surprise, she had been looking out the window as if she was trying to figure out where she was  
"…Oscar?" She voiced, a little scratchy, but otherwise fine.  
"Hey, there, Ruby, are you feeling any better?" Oscar asked, and mentally asked where the heck his voice came from.  
Ruby blinked at him, in confusion, before it cleared. "The snow…I got sick?" She asked.  
Oscar nodded and wandered into the room, and sat on his chest, aside her still drying socks.  
"Sorry that I had to bring you up here without your permission, but you would've gotten worse had you stayed below. It gets too cold." Oscar told her, eyeing her for her reply.

./.

Ruby just blinked, and looked around her with more clarity, then looked back to him in a storm of expressions that looked cross between alarm and slight fright.  
"I'm in your room!" She screeched.  
For whatever reason, it made him laugh. "Yeah, yeah, you are. I apologise for it, but I wasn't about to stand about while you got worse because the barn below isn't exactly insulated." Oscar said, a little sternly. She didn't seem to mind that he took her boots off, at least.  
His voice made her blink, and her head side, then she looked defeated, and her head hung against her chest, it was almost as if her body closed around herself "I'm sorry…" She muttered.

Oscar blinked at her.  
Well, that was certainly new.  
And something he did not like, _at all_.  
Oscar jumped off his chest, and went over to place a hand on her shoulder.  
"Why are you sorry?" He questioned sitting near her, ignoring that she flinched.  
Ruby didn't quite look like she had an answer, or that it was because she had a multitude of answers and neither quite fit her needed response.  
Oscar took her in critically. "I've told you many times before that you could take my bed, hell, if you're gonna stay here, I'm literally telling you, you can have it." Oscar told her.

This made her look up, in alarm.  
"No! I couldn't do that!" She persisted.  
Oscar gave her a stern look, she mutely stared at, with pain overcoming her features.  
"I'm serious, Ruby." He told her. "You were really sick last night! If you're gonna stay here, you need to keep warm! The barn isn't going to help you anymore!" Oscar said, loudly in his need to get across to her.  
Ruby blinked at him. "You don't want…?" Ruby tried.

./.

Oscar was off the bed in an annoyed hiss, and a glare.  
"That isn't what I'm saying, Ruby!" He insisted. "I want you to stay here! I'm not gonna force you to stay, but I'm not allowing you to stay in the hay — all its gonna do is make you sick again! You can stay with me, or if you're so insistent, that you won't stay with me, stay in the local village!" He said heatedly.  
He didn't understand her abhorrent need to stay below, even when he offered on multiple accounts for her to take his bed.

./.

Ruby looked as if he had slapped her, and she was torn.  
Oscar just sighed. "I don't want you to go, Ruby." He told her.  
She looked at him silently. "…But if I'm not allowed to stay in the barn…" She started in a murmur.  
"Stay here." Oscar said.

Ruby blinked at him. "Stay here?" She questioned, and he nodded. "…Where will you…?" She continued.  
Oscar just grinned. "Watch your feet!" He said, then pulled up the sheets from the floor.  
She yelped in surprise at whatever he was doing, and hugged her legs close.

Ruby watched as he didn't come nearer, but seemed to be pulling something from under the bed.  
"Um. Oscar?" She voiced.  
Oscar looked back to her after pulling out what looked like an elongated wicker basket box with a latch. "Surely you don't think I don't have spare linen?" He asked.  
Ruby blinked. "Um, no?" She voiced in confusion.  
Oscar just grinned and got back up with his hands on his hips. "So! You're staying here, yes?" He questioned.  
"I still don't get where you're sleeping, since you're so insistent I have the bed…" Ruby muttered.

Oscar then opened the wicker box for her to see as he pulled something out of it.  
"Every time I asked you if you wanted linens, you said no, so I'll use it." Oscar told her.  
Ruby blinked at him as he literally pulled out a full folded bed from the small box. She confused him? At this point _he_ was confusing her!  
"How did that fit in there?" She questioned, letting go of her legs and sitting on them to lean over the bed.  
Oscar looked up at her and grinned. "Since you agreed to take the bed, I'll sleep here!" Oscar crowed.  
Ruby realised she'd been done in. "Oscar!" She yelled, her voice pitched.  
Oscar just laughed.

/

* * *

/

Winter came, for the most part, with snow and hailstorms.  
Ruby didn't leave as she used to, something of which Oscar was extremely grateful, but got used to extremely quickly, and nervously hated for the time when she would tell him she needed to leave again.  
He found that if the winter storm wasn't loud or fast in pace, she could use that petal thing of hers and move him about the farm.  
He got things done incredibly fast.  
"Why didn't I ask you to do that sooner?" He grumbled.  
But, he did make her laugh, so he guessed it was fine, since she had been grouchy ever since he managed to make her keep his bed.  
Oscar found she folded when he pouted. Something, he didn't think she knew he knew.

./.

"Can I ask you a question?" Oscar asked, once when she'd taken him to the other barns where the animals were housed. "You don't need to answer if you don't want to." He quickly added.  
He watched as she had a lamb on her lap, and she was cooing at it.  
Ruby looked to him. "Sure?" She answered while patting the animal.  
"Sometimes you look like you're sad," Oscar started, he hated asking, but he loathed whatever he was doing that caused her to get that look, so he needed to ask, so he could avoid putting it on her face again. "…Did you lose someone? Is that why you're sad? I ask questions sometimes and you just kinda…shut down. Do I…Do I remind you of them?" He asked attentively and softly.

She paused, and looked almost as if she had frozen solid, and if she hadn't expected him to pick her up on it. Ruby looked to him. "I did…I did, sort of lose someone, recently," Oscar flinched. "But, but it's not your fault. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way…" Ruby told him, and for some reason flinched at her own wording.  
Oscar shook his head. "You haven't. I just wanted to ask so I knew how to make you not so sad in the future." He told her.  
Ruby just stared at him, and he knew the conversation was over and he went back to caring for his animals in silence.  
He hoped he hadn't pushed her too far.

./.

Winter came, and winter left in much the same fashion.  
Oscar eventually folded on her, and they swapped beds when she told him she needed to leave again for the first time since winter came.  
He hated the idea of her leaving now.  
"Three days!" She promised. "And _since_ I'll be coming back, and you've _banned_ me from the haystacks, most likely be coming back at night, I'll trip over you, so you can take the bed!"  
His eye hadn't stopped twitching in annoyance, even after she left with that smug look on her face.  
How the hell did she win, again?  
Yeah, when she used the fact that _she would be back_ on him. And she _smiled_.  
That worked. It would _always_ work.

./.

And she did come back.  
She always did.

./.

Oscar was up later than usual one night on Ruby's off days, she had one more day to go before he would see her again, as usual with her timing.  
He looked up suddenly when the door opened, and flower petals floated in.  
For once, not scaring him.  
"Ruby!" He called in delight at seeing her back. "You're back early!" He told her as she reformed.  
She laughed. "I can't catch up with a friend?" She asked.  
His mind seemed to stop working.  
And she looked at him smugly for causing his meltdown.

./.

Oscar soon found out she was insistent on the whole _friend's_ thing.  
Which they apparently were now.  
Not that he minded, or had friends before this crazy girl decided to pop up in his life and turn it into a whirlwind of red rose petals.  
He should probably thank her for that, if not to apologise in taking her away from probably her more important people.  
She had family, surely.

./.

Oscar noted that sometimes her estimate were off, but that only allowed her to be early, at a day or two: she was never late, she never even cut it close. It was like she never even thought of the idea of being late.

Oscar woke one night, when there was a storm that had erupted after they both had gone to sleep. Oscar suddenly had Ruby in his arms as she cried out in fear.  
"You don't like storms?" He questioned softly, since this was the first non–winter storm he had her for.  
Ruby just whimpered and grasped his shirt in fear when lightning crashed outside his window.  
Oscar really didn't think twice in gathering her up more closely. "You're alright, Ruby." He told her.  
Ruby whimpered, and seemed to move closer to him.

Oscar would find that she crawled into his bed when the rain started, even on some days when it didn't.  
He never questioned her, nor brought it up for attention as he wasn't quite sure she realised she was doing it, and since he always woke first — she never knew, should she forget she did it in the first place.

./.

Oscar knew it had only been two seasons and a bit she had been around, but it felt like longer.  
Who knew why.  
Maybe it was the amount of time she stayed with him.  
The longer she was there, the less time she spent away, there was now the only sudden times when Ruby told him she heard Grimm near, and went off to deal with them.  
He never heard anything, but he wasn't trained to hear enemies in the wind like she was.

She spent less time with that sad look on her face, as well.  
Oscar didn't know how long ago she lost that person, possibly the one she was looking for in all of her nightmares, she never told him what she was doing before she found her way to his farm. Or how long she had been searching for.  
He wasn't sure if it was still recent, as if just before she found him, or had it happened ages before.

But he was sure she could take care of herself, that oversized scythe of hers that scared him the first time it was accidently pointed in his direction, and every other time he accidently scared her that caused the weapon to be whipped out in his general direction, followed by the her look of horror at what she had just done.  
That didn't mean he didn't worry when she left.  
Or throughout the days she was away.  
Even though she was never late in her estimate. Ruby knew how long things would take her, once she knew were things were. And she must have been in Mistral long enough for her to know that. She needed to be able to predict whatever she went to Mistral was gonna take, for her to be able to say each time she went to Mistral, nothing would take her no more than a week, whether her reason be for restocking or for general items.

./.

So for all of it, Oscar shouldn't need to worry.  
She had proved she could take care of herself, that even when sick, she didn't get sick long, and that she was extremely capable of using her scythe, which turned out to be a damned _gun_ when she turned it around and shot a magpie once she realised it wasn't a crow.

She seemed fine with crows, she never took out her scythe before and shoot _them_ , but hated every other bird that came close to the farm, apparently.  
"Why do you hate magpies?" Oscar asked, once he got over the fact the scythe was also a gun. What else could this weapon do?!  
Ruby turned to him. "Wasn't it heading for your crops?" She questioned.  
Oscar blinked at her. "True. But so does every other bird." He told her.  
She looked to him. "I can't distinguish between crows and ravens, unless they're really close — I don't mind crows, but I have a dislike for other birds." She told him.  
Not that that ever–made sense.

./.

"Hey, Oscar?" Ruby called.  
Oscar paused tending to his field, and looked to her. "Yeah, Ruby?" He asked, spearing his pitchfork so it wouldn't move while she talked, and wiping his brow.  
"I need to head out, 'kay? Won't take more than five days! And I'll be back!" Ruby promised.  
Oscar could see why, with the change set of the seasons, she heard more Grimm moving around, and all those ammo clips had run down a lot since winter.  
"Alright, you have what you need?" He asked, since the one time he didn't ask, _she_ forgot her ticket.  
Ruby nodded, and showed she had her bag under her cloak, grinning. "All set!" She said.

Oscar smiled. "I'll see you in five days, then."  
Ruby nodded, and set off.  
"Ah! Wait! Ruby!" Oscar called, and caused her to turn around.  
"'Sup?" She called back.  
Oscar dug into his pocket and threw her his apple. "Take this!" He called as he threw it.  
She caught it in surprise, but then realised what it was. "Thanks! I'll see you!" She yelled, and was off in an explosion of petals he was starting to get used to seeing her do and not freak out over.  
Oscar just chuckled and went back to his garden.

./.

Five days came, and five days went.  
And Ruby didn't come back like she promised.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** And you'd think after 52000 words I'd know how to spell _"scythe"_ properly by now. _Nope._

 _Up next:_ Oscar finds out that karma is a bitch, and _"luck"_ works in the weirdest of ways. Especially around the man that he bumps into.


	7. Part 2 - Chapter 7

**Summary:** Oscar finds out that karma is a bitch, and "luck" works in the weirdest of ways. Especially around the man that he bumps into. He calls them _"old faces"_ , but Oscar is about one second away from murdering a crow because he's _never_ _met_ these people before. But they seem to know him.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Still from Oscar's perspective, unless stated otherwise within the break lines with the character's initials aka _./QB/._ Is that part from Qrow, etc.

/

* * *

/

 _Trying to find your hand in the darkness. Trying to hear your words over the rain. Trying to be unveiled, but accepted. Trying to mend your heart without the pain. Trying to see your world from my window. Trying to find the bridge to where you lay. Trying to love out of the shadows. Trying to love you when you're not okay. And we fall together: In messy piles upon the floor. But we're made of feathers: Delicate and vulnerable — Scared to fly and scared to fall.  
—Karliene_

 _Also_ _see other music for this chapter_ _by_ _  
Karliene — I Will Always Find You  
Natasha Blume — Journey (Ready to Fly)  
_

Part 2 – Chapter 7

It must have taken Oscar no less than two days to snap, and hunt down his bag.  
She was never wrong in her estimate.  
Ruby was never late. And she promised to return.  
Ruby wasn't the sort of girl who would lie.  
Because of this, Oscar knew there was something wrong, or something preventing her from returning.  
So, he'd find her, instead.

He'd go to Mistral and start there.  
Hopefully, he'd run into someone who knew her, or had seen her recently.  
He had to hope.  
But, hell, didn't that scare him?

Oscar's fear of the city, of leaving his farm in general, was greatly outweighed by his fear of what could have happened to Ruby.  
He'd find her again, ask her the reason, maybe it was because it was just as harmless as her taking up another assignment, sure, he'd be crushed — but at least he would know she was alright.  
And maybe Huntress' couldn't choose their assignments, or when they ended?  
Oscar resolved to get better at this Huntress knowledge, since he knew crap all, and Ruby hadn't exactly told him anything of her career — aside from fighting Grimm. That he knew. And could guess all Huntsmen did.

./.

It wasn't something he could tell his aunt about.  
Because that conversation would go well and possibly along the lines of, _"'sup, we had a Huntress' stay at our farm for two seasons, but she hasn't returned, so I'm off to find her! Later!"_  
Yeah. Swell. And possibly end up getting him grounded.

So he left a note.  
That was a thing kids did these days.

Oscar took up his bag, made sure he left nothing out that he might need.  
On his last look, he remembered that Ruby always had a habit of forgetting her ticket for the train, so that possibly cost money. He went over to his chest to open it and dig in for his emergency money should he need it for a harsh winter.  
It wasn't exactly winter, but he did need to catch a train to Mistral.  
Who knew how much that cost. Or how long it would take to find her.

/

* * *

/

It rained on his way to the station, and he _really_ hoped Ruby wasn't caught out in it, since she hated the rain.  
The ticket machine didn't seem to want to give him his ticket, even though he had the right amount of lien, until a guy came along and bashed a hole into it.  
Oscar didn't want to run into him again.  
If he could bash a hole into the machinery, then he most likely was a Huntsmen, and who knew what he could do to Oscar.

./.

Oscar was starting to realise he hated being small.  
Ruby was fine being small, because she could just pull out Crescent Rose and she looked like a giant.  
Him? Not so much.  
He didn't even know where he was. He would definitely be hard-pressed to find his way home again, should he need to.

./.

Mistral was huge!  
Oscar hated it on site.  
He hated how big it was, how much time it took to get well, _anywhere_ , the people weren't exactly friendly once they realised he was an outsider and not a Huntsmen.  
And everything _costs_.  
Oscar wouldn't be able to stay anywhere in the city since all inns cost more figures then he had seen in his life.  
Why did he come here again?

Maybe Ruby would find him first. She said she came from this city after all.  
No one seemed to want to talk to him, or even knew a Ruby, _with a giant scythe_ , when he was able to ask.

./.

All thoughts left his head when he finally whacked into someone, it was legit only a matter of time before it happened.  
Something crashed on the ground and possibly broke.  
And a male cursed as he was sent keening into the dirt.  
"Ow…" He muttered  
"Did you have to—" The male he apparently crashed into started, before he just stopped and stared at Oscar.  
Oscar quickly got back up and dusted himself off. "Yeah, um, sorry, for running into you, I didn't see you." Oscar told him.  
The man stared at him, he seemed to utter something which Oscar didn't catch but through he heard the word _pipsqueak_ be one of them. It also seemed to be a question.  
"Hey, have you seen a—?" Oscar started, seeing a chance to ask.  
"Ozpin?" The man asked, a slight tremor of fear in his voice.

Oscar stared at him, frowning in confusion.  
"What? No! Ozpin? I'm not looking for an Ozpin! I'm looking for a Ruby!" Oscar insisted.  
This seemed to bring the man around.  
"Ruby?" He asked, his tone confused.  
"Yes! She's about this tall," Oscar put up his hand a head taller than he was. "Wears red, carries a scythe that is also somehow a _gun_ , I never asked how, does weird things with rose petals." Oscar described as he watched confusion colour the man's face. "Know her?" He asked.

The man still seemed to stare at him as if he just pulled a Grimm from under his shirt, or something.  
"How—how do you know her?" He seemed to finally come around to ask.  
Oscar shrugged. "She's been coming to my farm for the past two seasons." He said.  
The man suddenly laughed, making Oscar take a step back. "So, _that's_ where she's been! How long ago did she vanish on you, pipsqueak?" He asked.  
Oscar's eye twitched at the nickname. "She said she wouldn't be more than five days, but it's been a week since I've seen her. She's never late in her estimate." Oscar replied, extremely confused by this man, who apparently, going by his wording, _knew_ Ruby, _hopefully_ , but didn't outright say it was confusing.

The man snorted, as if he found something ironically funny. "It only took a week, huh?" He questioned.  
Oscar frowned, it technically took less, but hey. "Do you know her, or not?" He asked, finally getting annoyed with how vague this man was being, even if he was the first adult to talk to him.  
The man nodded. "She's my niece, down to the scythe and roses you described down to a T." He said.

Oscar lit up gratefully, not believing his good fortune. "Then you should know where she is!" Oscar did.  
The man continued to laugh. "Hah! I lost contact with her nearly a year ago, when she decided to jump ship. Did she say anything to you before leaving?" He asked.  
Oscar shook his head "No, only that whatever she was going to go do was going to take five days." Oscar said.  
He looked thoughtful. "She might have gone on a mission." He pondered.  
Oscar was confused. "Mission?" Was that what they were called, and not assignments? Why didn't Ruby correct him? Now he sounded dumb.  
"Huntress." The man informed.  
Oscar mentally did a jig, he got that part right!  
"And since she might have taken a mission, maybe Oz knows where she is, then." He continued.  
Oscar sided his head in confusion with a frown, which worsened when the man flinched. "Oz? Who's Oz? Where's Oz?" Oscar asked, steamrolling his questions, he hoped this Oz person wasn't lost too since this man thought he was him.

The man seemed to blink, at his need for answering questions, but Oscar noted that there was less tension in him once the man realised he had no clue who this Oz person in question was.  
"School headmaster. Has access to Huntress' and Huntsmen's mission under contract at Beacon Academy, or what's left of it. Which is located in Vale, on the continent of Sanus, if you didn't know." He informed.  
Oscar's eyes blew wide. "There's no closer school?" He asked, a little intimidated at how far he needed to go, just for the next part to find her. His no-show of lien wouldn't get him across Mistral city, let along two continents!

The man nodded "There is. But Ruby is contracted to Beacon. So, if she took a mission, even outside of Beacon, it would be logged with Ozpin. Let's just hope they can still be logged with the CCT down—How long did you say you knew Ruby?" He trailed off to question.  
Oscar blinked at the sudden change, heaped with new information he hadn't known before. "For two seasons — a few months." Oscar changed his terminology when the man hadn't a clue what he meant by seasons since he didn't think the adult was a farmer. "She's a friend…I think?" But he still found himself questioning this.

Oscar looked back to him when he snorted. "Of all the similarities…" He muttered. "Fine. To Ozpin it is." He then eyed Oscar, who hadn't moved. "Are you coming, or what, pipsqueak?" He asked.  
Oscar moved his weight from one foot to the other. "But I don't have any lien left…" He uttered.  
The man snorted. "Find my niece, and I'll call it even." He told him.  
That seemed fair to Oscar.

./.

"So, uh," Oscar tried, as he ran to catch up to the man, who had longer legs then he did, who didn't seem to realise this fact yet as he seem to race out of the city.  
The man looked to him in realisation he was going too fast when he heard Oscar pant "'Sup, kiddo?" He questioned.  
"You have a name, right?" Oscar questioned.  
The man stared at him, as if telling Oscar his name never occurred to him, why Oscar didn't know. "Qrow." He muttered, before continuing on, oddly, but at a pace Oscar could keep up with.  
Ruby's comment about liking crows made more sense now.

./.

Oscar noted that Qrow was eyeing him critically.  
"What's wrong?" Oscar asked, seeing that they were now outside the city, and leading away from it.  
"You have no clue how to fight do you?" Qrow questioned.  
Oscar blinked then shook his head. "Why would I need to know? I live on a farm, and only dealt with smaller Grimm once in a blue moon." Oscar told him.  
Qrow just groaned. "You really are gonna make my life hell." He said.  
Oscar just looked at him in confusion.  
"Look, kid, you do know that there's more than just small Grimm in the world, right?" Qrow asked, a little incredulous.  
Oscar nodded. "Yes, and they never bothered the farm where I live. Ruby seemed to find them though." Oscar noted.  
He also noted the odd look Qrow had given him when he said her name.  
"You're gonna need to learn how to fight properly, kiddo." Qrow ordered before Oscar could ask about the odd look.  
Oscar just shrugged, all he was concerned about right now was finding Ruby.

./.

Oscar noted that Huntsmen often left at weird times, Ruby did it, as did Qrow. Qrow would tell him to head down a path, and the next second the man would no longer be where he just was, only to reappear down the path later on next to him, as if he hadn't done a vanishing act for the past half hour.  
Maybe all Huntsmen were able to do the flower petal thing that Ruby was able to do.  
He could gather that Qrow was leaving to take care of the nearby Grimm he couldn't hear, but he did notice the sword the man carried.  
He didn't wish to mess with the sword.  
It was also probably a gun.

./.

"How long were you looking for Ruby?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow made a dismissive noise with his tongue. "Better question, kiddo, is how she found you." Qrow deflected.  
Oscar shrugged. "She never said. She only said she was looking for someone. But stayed at my farm." Oscar told him.  
Oscar pretended he didn't see Qrow flinch.

./.

"How good are you at water?" Qrow asked.  
Oscar looked at him in confusion. "Water?" He asked.  
Qrow pointed outward, and suddenly all Oscar could see was the blue of the ocean.  
They were apparently at a dock.  
Oscar wasn't exactly stupid, he had seen a map of the world before, he knew how big it was, and that the continents were surrounded by water.

He looked to Qrow. "…And how long is this gonna take…?" He asked nervously.  
"Shouldn't take more than a day, kiddo." Qrow remarked, then gave him lien. "Go off and buy two tickets." He ordered.  
Oscar blinked. Qrow did that a lot.  
And by that, he meant by Qrow giving him lien to get things for either both of them or for himself entirely.  
It wasn't as if Oscar was about to say he didn't want to do it, considering Qrow was taking him to Ruby, and he had seen Qrow attempt to do it himself.  
This man had the worst luck he had ever seen.

/

* * *

/

Oscar had decided he didn't much like water.  
But he could have it worse — Qrow looked about ready to hurl.  
But, Oscar could guess because of that, the trip didn't take long, nor were they interrupted by anything during the sail.

./.

"We need to head up to Beacon, kiddo." Qrow said.  
Oscar was starting to get annoyed that Qrow thought he understood every word that came out of his mouth, even after a few days of knowing each other and Oscar constantly reminding him.  
They had landed on the continent of Sanus, that much he knew.  
"Wait, where are we?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow just sighed, as if he remembered something. "Sorry, kiddo. We need to take an airship to Vale, then another up to Beacon, with me so far?" He elaborated.  
"…And Beacon's where we can find more about where Ruby is, yeah?" Oscar asked as they moved away from the ship that they have departed from.  
"Well done, for remembering, kiddo." Qrow congratulated.  
Halfway between Mistral and docking at Sanus, Qrow had dropped the pipsqueak and picked up calling him kiddo. Though, he still reverted sometimes, for whatever reason.  
Oscar didn't think it was hard to remember, but he could smell what Qrow had in his flask, so he wasn't judging.

./.

Qrow chucked him another lien card. "Go over there and find us two tickets into Beacon." He ordered, and was then walking in the other direction of where there was a small market.  
Well, this should be fun.

Oscar went over to the kiosk that Qrow pointed at.  
"Uh, hi, uh," Oscar started, and _hurray_ for social interaction.  
The man manning looked to him. "Yeah, kid?" He responded.  
"You're the guy to see for air transport?" Oscar asked, knowing last time Qrow sent him to get the tickets for the boat, he had to go several places before he got the right one.  
The man nodded. "Yep, where do you need to go?" He questioned, getting out what looked like a check and balances book.  
"I need to head up to Beacon." Oscar told.  
The man eyed him. "…The school?" He questioned.  
Oscar blinked, was there another? "That's what I've been told." Oscar responded.  
"You're with someone?" The man asked.  
Oscar nodded. "I need passage for one adult, Huntsmen and one minor." Oscar continued.  
Saying he was travelling with an adult, normally got things rolling faster.

The man was still blinking at him. "…You sure you don't mean the Beacon's Safe Zone?" The man asked.  
Oscar blinked. "Is Beacon Academy inaccessible?" He questioned.  
The man eyed him. "Has been for nearly a year now…" He said.  
Oscar blinked. Maybe that was what caused Ruby to leave in the first place. And the cause of her pain.  
"Does the Safe Zone have the school staff?" Oscar asked.  
The man looked like he was thinking. "Pretty sure that's where all the teachers are, Huntsmen, sure, since Grimm like the sneak into the place, but maybe not the students — they should be in the Vale's Safe Zone since school isn't back in yet. Beacon's Safe Zone is run by the school's former headmaster until anyone can figure out how to get back into the school." The man supplied.

Headmaster.  
Former.  
Could very well be this Ozpin man Oscar needed to talk to find out about Ruby.  
Oscar nodded. "Then, sure, the Beacon Safe Zone, it is." Oscar replied.  
The man looked relieved that it wasn't the actual school he would be sending the boy into.

/

* * *

/

Oscar found Qrow filling up his flask.  
"I think you forgot to tell me that Beacon is a no-go zone." Oscar reminded.  
Qrow paused, stared at him, then cursed. "Sorry, kiddo, forgot you didn't know." He said.  
Oscar rose an eyebrow, how in all of Remnant was he supposed to know?!

"The guy gave us tickets to the Beacon Safe Zone, he said that's where the Beacon's headmaster would be." Oscar continued.  
Qrow nodded as Oscar handed over the tickets so he could see the itinerary. "Hm. Good. We're stopping at Vale first, and have time there before the next airship leaves." Qrow said.  
Oscar couldn't have gathered that even if he read the thing a hundred times over.  
"Vale?" Oscar asked.  
"Yeah, we'll see some old faces." Qrow said.  
Oscar didn't respond, just tried to make sure his shoulders to heave down in confusion any further.

./.

"How long did you say we have here?" Oscar asked, seeing exactly the size of the Vale Safe Zone, having gone over the not so anymore welcomed parts.  
It had been explained there were now two safe zones in Vale, one for the city of Vale itself, and one for Beacon Academy.  
Someone still hadn't told him why the school was a no-go zone.  
It was like they expected him to know.  
Which he didn't, by the way.  
If anyone was curious.

./.

Oscar wasn't sure if Qrow was lost in whatever he was doing, but he looked it.  
They didn't have much time before they needed to board the airship to the other safe zone to find Ozpin.  
Maybe Qrow was searching here for Ozpin too?  
Oscar couldn't see Ruby anywhere.  
"Are we lost?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow grumbled. "See if you can get a better look up there." Qrow pointed to a ladder.  
Oscar stared. "…And who am I looking for if I don't see Ruby?" He asked, his eye twitching.  
"Blonde hair, white hair, black hair, red hair. Normally all together in at least two groups. Several may freak you out. All Huntsmen." Qrow noted.  
Oscar just grumbled and disappeared up the ladder, it wasn't as if at least _half_ of the mentioned hair types weren't people he had already seen previously.

./QB/.

Qrow just sighed, after sending Oscar up.  
"Uncle Qrow!" A loud voice called.  
Qrow looked around to see his niece come up to him, with her teammates and friends, minus her leader.  
"Hey." He greeted back.

Nora rushed up to him. "You're back! Did you find Ruby?! Did you!? She's not here!" She near screamed.  
Qrow lent back from her. "Nope." He sounded out, and most of the group groaned out in despair.  
"It's been ages!" Yang near yelled.  
Qrow wasn't about to remind them, that naturally because he was the one searching — it would take all the good luck he didn't possess to find her. "It's technically nearly been a year. But I did find out where she has been for the most part." Qrow told them  
"For the _most part_?" Yang asked, incredulously and in slight outrage.  
Qrow ignored her rage for the time being.

./OP/.

Qrow was saved from answering, when Oscar jumped down.  
"Nope, didn't—" He then saw Qrow's company. "Ah. Found 'em." He remarked, pointing, seeing seven people — most likely all Huntsmen and Huntress'.  
Qrow snorted.  
The rest stared at him, in rising horror.  
Pinkie was the first to round on Qrow. "What happened to Ozpin!" She yelled.  
Oscar reared back at how loud she was, then cursed. "Shoot. Qrow. Time." He motioned.  
"You guys are coming too! Hurry up!" Qrow yelled as he started to run, Oscar was faster, even with a near trip he glared at Qrow for.

"Where're we going!" Miss Blondie was the loudest in asking, surprisingly.  
"Just shut up, and move it!" Qrow yelled back.

./.

They made it onto the aircraft just before it was due to take off.  
"Why're we on a plane?" Pinkie McLoudmouth asked.  
Oscar just groaned as he heaved air into himself as he laid on the deck. "This — Better — Be — Worth — It!" He said.  
Qrow just snorted and whacked his foot with his own as he went by.  
"Hey!" Oscar yelled back, sitting up and glaring.  
"See, you're fine." Qrow grouched as he sat down.

"You guys wanna fill us in?" Mister Blondie asked.  
Oscar was still glaring at Qrow, who glared back.  
"You're the one who said she'd be on a mission, pipsqueak." Qrow bit back.  
Oscar scrunched up his nose. "Please stop calling me that. And no, no I did _not_ say that. _You_ inferred it!" Oscar seethed.

The others in the hold were looking between the two like a tennis match.  
"Okay, what?" Miss Blondie asked, having gotten one too many shrugs from her fellows.  
Oscar looked to her. "Here, no, _here's_ a better question, who _are_ you guys?!" Oscar asked, a little angrily about not understanding what was going on.

They all looked to each other, while Qrow chuckled something about _karma_ in the background.  
"Wait, you don't know who we are?" Mister Blondie asked.  
Oscar blinked, then frowned. "How the heck would I know you? I never met you before." Oscar grouched crossing his arms.

"See, when I said I knew where Ruby _was_ , Oscar here found me, and I figured the rest." Qrow piped up.  
They looked between Qrow and Oscar. "Wait, Ruby's been with you?" Miss Blondie asked.

Oscar blinked at her, apparently, these people knew Ruby, but apparently didn't know where she was either.  
The hell, how hard was it to keep track of one person?  
"She was with me for two seasons — Uh, a few months, sorry, farming terminology is different." Oscar had started to autocorrect himself when Qrow had several times asked him to repeat it and _what the hell is two seasons?!_ got real annoying, _real_ fast.  
He watched as they looked at each other in confusion, it was as if they had expected him to know them.  
It was starting to get annoying.

"Then if Ruby has been with him, why are we in a plane right now?" Oscar heard the other male asked.  
Oscar just groaned. "Well, Ruby, _was_ with me, until she decided not to come back after her estimated leave time, and since she's kinda never done that…" Oscar trailed off, when he realised he got similar odd looks from them all.  
"Farm Boy here got worried." Qrow snickered.  
"Please don't call me that. It's like you're forgetting my name on purpose." Oscar deadpanned.

./.

"So, you guys have names, right?" Oscar asking, looking at the seven unnamed, yet extremely armed people surrounding him nervously.  
One Huntsmen, he could watch warily, eight was a tad much when he didn't know their reasons, aside from they apparently knew Ruby, but didn't know where she was either.  
They all looked at each other as if highly unsettled.  
Why did everyone he meet recently seemed to think he should know them!?

./.

He did finally get their names, and how they knew Ruby, and apparently Huntsmen and Huntress' worked in teams of four.  
And he could safely say, that, _nope_ , he had never met them before.

./.

"So, what are we doing here, again?" Weiss asked as they hopped off the craft at Beacon's Safe Zone, still having not been told.  
"Seriously, like we don't start school yet." Nora whined.  
Oscar blinked at how grumpy she got.  
"You guys actually have a school to go back to?" Oscar asked, silently freaking out.  
Yang snorted. "That's debatable." She said.  
Oscar looked to her and blinked.

"Am I even allowed here?" Oscar put forth, seeing as he kinda wasn't a Huntsmen.  
"Just act like you own the place." Qrow told him.  
"Yeah, that'll work." Nora put forth smugly, with a smirk.  
He ignored the mental freak out he was having from seeing a _giant frozen Dragon_.  
That everyone seemed to ignore. So, it was natural. Dragons would normally ruin a lot of peoples' day. But these guys? Nope. Just the reason they weren't at school. No biggie.  
 _Totally natural.  
_ _ **—Why was it there?!**_

./.

Oscar stared out over the grounds the Safe Zone of Beacon was in, amongst the campsites, and halls for gathering, he assumed anyway, there did seem to be a larger open field of grass that took most of his attention away from actually walking.  
But when he looked around Qrow and the others had continued on, leaving him behind.  
"Shoot." He muttered, he looked around from something he could use for view.  
Seeing a ladder on the nearest hall, he went for it to find the others — it would be easier with a bird's eye view.

./QB/.

There was a smug look about Qrow when he met up with Ozpin at seeing the confused, slowing turning incredulous faces of the children.  
"Qrow?" Ozpin voiced, not having expected him, since he took off after Ruby as well as to keep an eye on Haven Academy.  
"Hey." He greeted, chuckling at the kids who were trying not to point at Ozpin in confusion after having seen Oscar walking around.  
"…And what are you doing here…?" Ozpin asked, having not seen the redhead in question, but her two teams behind him, and he did notice the confused looks they kept sending him.  
Qrow shrugged. "Well, see I kinda found a lead for Ruby." Qrow started.  
"That's always a good start." Ozpin could follow that, what he couldn't follow was the man's reasoning as to why he was in front of him currently.  
"But it's a funny story how I got it?" Qrow snickered.  
Ozpin frowned at him. "How so?" He questioned.

./OP/.

Oscar, having found where the others went to, ran along the hall's roof, and _jumped_ , having seen he was at the same height as his loft space and he had jumped from that height before. He survived too.  
"Qrow!" He yelled, as he jumped, catching everyone's attention, mentally celebrating that he didn't trip on his landing.  
Everyone stared at him in astonishment.  
"Found you!" Oscar continued. "Since you kinda left me behind, and all." He reminded.  
Qrow cursed, making Oscar grin.

Oscar turned his attention to the other adult, who was looking at him in calculating silence.  
"I'm guessing you're Ozpin?" Oscar asked.  
Ozpin blinked at him, before turning to stare at Qrow. "I'm assuming Oscar here is where you got your source of Miss Rose's whereabouts." Ozpin stated.  
Oscar blinked, but shrugged, not really caring how this man knew his name.  
"Small world," Qrow admitted.  
"It really isn't," Ozpin muttered. "So! How can I help? I assume you wouldn't have brought Oscar all this way for nothing." He continued curiously.

Oscar looked around curiously and noted that the camp was littered about with adults, who had weapons on them, so probably Huntsmen, he looked back to Ozpin, he wondered where this man's weapon was.  
...Canes can't be considered weapons, can they? Because he had one of them, he was leaning on it.  
Oscar was suddenly thrown out of his concentration when he saw Qrow look to him.  
"Well, pipsqueak, wanna tell the class how you met Ruby?" He asked.  
They all saw his eye twitch. "I swear you're forgetting my name on purpose." He growled in annoyance, but Qrow didn't back down, and he grunted. "I met her two seas—I gotta stop that, _several months_ ago, she appeared out of nowhere on my farm, I first thought she was a Grimm." Oscar started.

"It was fortunate that you did not attack her." Ozpin put forth.  
They all watched that the thought looked abhorrent to him, even now.  
"I wouldn't have been able to attack her anyway. She had her scythe out. Which is way bigger than my pitchfork," Oscar noted, ignoring the amused giggle from Yang, and the whack Blake gave her.

"Anyways. I think she was hunting Grimm while staying around the farm, and freaking me out with that petal thing she can do, every so often she'd tell me she'd be gone for a number of days — she'd always be back by the estimated day. Even when she went back to Mistral because her scythe is apparently a gun, because it shoots things, and just why?" Oscar rhetorically asked, he didn't expect an answer.  
"Last time she said she needed to go to Mistral because winter finished, and she kept hearing Grimm movement, and it took a toll on her ammo reserves, so she said she needed to go to Mistral to restock. She said she would be five days." Oscar said.

"And I assume she did not come back after the five days." Ozpin carried on, easily seeing where this was going.  
Oscar nodded. "Well, yeah, Ruby's never done that, come back early, sure, but she's never been late. Not even close." Oscar said, noting the odd look again across their faces.  
Maybe he was saying her name wrong?  
He said it how they did though…?

"I was thinking she went on a mission…" Qrow added.  
"Then it would hopefully be logged with me, that's why you're here." Ozpin summed up.  
Both Qrow and Oscar nodded.  
"Then you'll need to follow me, seeing as I don't have my tablet on me, it's with Glynda," Ozpin noted, then looked over to the others. "You can come as well, since you're more likely to sneak your way in any way."  
Most of them nervously laughed, because yeah, he was right.

./.

The only thing about this place that annoyed Oscar was that it seemed to prickle at his eyes, like a brain itch when he'd forgotten something he needed to do on the farm.  
Which was annoying because he had nothing to do here, except what he currently _was_ doing — which was finding Ruby.

Ozpin stalled in the hall they just entered when a woman — presumably this Glynda person — came up to them with a worried look and the aforementioned tablet.  
"You've gotten a flag." She said handing over the tablet.  
Ozpin immediately moved. "For Miss Rose?" He asked immediately.  
"You've _flagged_ her?!" Qrow asked in several rising emotions.  
Oscar understood what the word meant, just as much as he understood the alarmed–pointed look Ozpin gave him, or the astonished look he got from Glynda.  
Nor why Qrow made an understanding vocal noise. "So, what happened—?" They all watched as Ozpin's usual calmness broke way to worry. "Oz?" Qrow immediately asked.  
"Her mission has been logged, it's come in with the preliminary report update since she…she has been injured." Ozpin spoke quietly.  
There could have been a pin dropped in the split silence and none of them would have heard it in the rushing of sound in all of their ears.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Whelp.

 _Up next_ : All hell breaks loose in a nearby hospital. Poor nurses never stood a chance, ft Ozpin's cane likes to get "left". Near Oscar. _Totally not on purpose_.


	8. Part 2 - Chapter 8

**Summary:** All hell breaks loose in a nearby hospital. Poor nurses never stood a chance. Ozpin being sneakier than usual. Overprotective would-be parents. Farm boy is confused about why these people let him stay with Ruby. Qrow fears machinery. Oscar finally gets his hug.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** This chapter is still from Oscar's perspective unless stated otherwise with the time breaks and character initials.

This is probably my amounted bullshit to try and explain how Huntsmen contracts work, how they can heal themselves and how the Tower _kinda-sorta-not-really_ works within a range, but not rurally. Who knows, the series doesn't explain it that much. Unless I missed that part.

On other related news, who's betting we're really not gonna get an explanation on the "Ozpin turned us into birds for reasons" thing? 1, because its Oz who did it, and 2, who gets an explanation for anything from this?

/

* * *

/

 _The future's open wide, beyond believing to know why hope dies. Losing what was found, a world so hollow, suspended in a compromise. The silence of this sound, is soon to follow somehow, sundown. And finding answers is forgetting all of the questions we called home. And this day's ending is the proof of time killing, all the faith I know. I've lost who I am. But I know, all I know, is that the end's beginning. Who I am from the start, take me home to my heart — Let me go and I will run, I will not be silent. All this time spent in vain, wasted years, wasted gain. All is lost, hope remains, and this war's not over.  
— Trading Yesterday_

 _Other music for this chapter  
Lindsey Stirling & Christina Perri —_ _Brave Enough  
Casting Crowns — Oh My Soul_

Part 2 – Chapter 8

"Where is she?!" Many near yelled.  
"What happened?!" Was the next loudest.  
Ozpin hadn't even looked up from his device as he seemed to work on it.

"I can answer the _where_ part," Ozpin started, once he looked up from the device and handed it back to Glynda. "Tell whoever originated the mission and its status report that I want a full run down, and what the cause is. Come find me when they do." He ordered.  
Glynda nodded as she took the tablet.  
"You can do that?" Qrow asked.  
Ozpin looked to him. "It will take time, it will be faster if Glynda stays here, and while that is happening I can take you to Miss Rose." He stated, and headed for the exit of the hall, no one needed a second telling.

"She's at Beacon hospital?" Yang asked, seeing where Ozpin was taking them.  
"Then why did you not get notified earlier?" Qrow asked.  
"The mission was logged outside of Beacon, most likely in Mistral, since that seems to be where she agreed to it. Her mission status came with the preliminaries because she was forwarded here in closer range to our Wi–Fi most likely with her scroll." Ozpin said.  
"How long as she been here?" Oscar piped up, trying to keep up.  
None of them, but Ozpin seemed to remember that he was there.  
"Something I will be finding out shortly, Oscar." Ozpin told him as they entered the building.

./.

They must have been an imposing group, because the staff all stalled seeing them.  
Oscar doubted it was because most of them were armed, but because the majority looked severally pissed off.

But only one nurse sighed in relief.  
"I was sure our most recent was contracted to Beacon, since I was sure I had seen her before." She started, Oscar thought she deserved an award when all of the Huntsmen aimed their looks at her, _and she didn't back down_. "Her scroll, once powered enough to turn on said her identity was one Ruby Rose. Is that who you are here for?" She continued.  
Maybe Oscar should change the award for most efficient.  
"Indeed, can you lead us to her?" Ozpin was the first to ask, while the rest still seemed to stare at her.  
"Of course! This way!" She said, and trotted down the hall, leaving her stunned workmates behind, and several Huntsmen running after her.

./.

Most of the children nearly fell over when the head nurse rounded on them, making Ozpin and Qrow halt, Oscar had to jump up onto side chairs to save himself from falling into Weiss as they all fanned out in the hall.  
"Since we can only allow three in at one time, with her condition so unknown, I'll tell you all of what we know about her status since she came in." She started, causing them to nod while Oscar jumped down from the chair he got onto. "We know when she was brought in that she had a mission, not the specifics," She looked to Ozpin. "I would be grateful for the full report to help us determine causes." She asked.

Ozpin nodded. "You'll have it as soon as I do." He told her.  
The nurse blinked. "Ah, right CCT is down." She realised. "Still, it's hard to determine causes without it, especially with Huntsmen, since you guys seem to bounce back from just about anything. We are unsure if before she was brought in if she had anything major — splints, sprains, breakages," She paused seeing all of them flinch at each word, and more prominently at her last. "Or if she was able to heal from those on her way here, she has none of them currently." She told them.

It served to confuse them.  
"Then explain why she is here." Ozpin asked sternly.  
"Because she will not wake up, even with a steady heart rate and only slightly hindered breathing." She told him. "Hence why I would like to determine a cause, and be able to seek the right specialist," She continued. "Now, she hasn't responded to outside stimuli, but do not let that stop you from talking to her, even vocalising your thoughts around her since we're incapable at this moment whether or not she can hear them. Best to assume she can, before we jump to conclusions." She said, making them nod, seeing so she smiled. "So! Who's the first three?" She questioned. "I assume they're all underage, even if they're Huntsmen, I doubt they're all related." She looked to Ozpin and Qrow, "One of you will need to stay with the other two. These two rules will be let up once we can determine causes are not severe." She told them, in an afterthought.

"We'll take it from here." Qrow told her.  
The nurse nodded. "Feel free to call me, if you need me." She said and went back to her other patients.

./.

They were all looking to Ozpin to tell them who would be going and who would be out in the hall.  
"Oscar," Ozpin called, surprising the boy he called.  
Oscar worked his way between Jaune and Nora. "Yes?" He asked, once he got to the front.  
"I think you should be one of the first to see her." Ozpin started.  
This made Oscar blinked. "Seriously? But Yang is—" Oscar said looking to Yang who didn't actually look that alarmed.

"Miss Xiao Long is indeed related to Miss Rose, but I think her time can be better spent contacting her father," Ozpin noted.  
Yang looked as if she just remembered this fact. "Crap, with the tower down, he won't've been notified properly. I'll go try and call him!" She waved as she ran down the hall.  
"Qrow and I can switch out," Ozpin continued to the children, who again, didn't seem surprised he would make sure Oscar stayed.  
Even if Oscar himself was confused.

Ozpin looked back to Qrow.  
"Qrow?" He started and went towards the door.  
Qrow nodded. "Come along pipsqueak, we don't have all day to sort through all the other kids." Qrow said as Ozpin opened the door and left it open as he went inside.  
Oscar closed it behind him, seeing as all other doors were closed in the hall.

Oscar wasn't exactly prepared for what he saw when he turned around.  
"Ruby…" He breathed in worry.  
She was still in her hospital bed, wearing nothing red at all: she was never still, she was always moving about, even in sleep, he often woke to a slap somewhere, or a kick to the shin.  
The stillness of her nerved him, but the respirator she was hooked onto, and every other monitoring machine, made it even worse.  
Ozpin was the one who grasped his upper arm.  
"She will be alright, Oscar." Ozpin noted, seeing a chair, he made sure Oscar sat down.  
"She can't even breathe by herself." Oscar sounded out faintly.

Qrow let on the wall that was the furthest away from any type of machinery.  
"I guess we can say it could have been much worse." Qrow said.  
Ozpin nodded as he left his cane by the chair Oscar was sitting in, and wandered over to the other side of the room to the window. "That much is true, she is under no medications, nor is she in any physical pain." He said, much for Oscar's benefit.

Oscar could see where the two were coming from, but she was still unconscious.  
And that still left a foul taste in his mouth.  
She was so still.  
"She's so still." Oscar muttered, his mind shutting down.  
Both men looked to him. "How do you mean?" Ozpin asked curiously.

Oscar looked to him.  
"Well, she's always moving, or doing something, she's whacked me enough times to wake me up that I know she's likely to whack all of those machines were she just _sleeping_." Oscar told them.  
Qrow didn't know whether or not to settle on laughing or being slightly protective over the fact Oscar knew her sleeping habits, and had been in close enough proximity to be hit by her while sleeping.  
Ozpin just looked neutral. "How did this occur?" He questioned.

Oscar just groaned. "Happened during winter because I kinda–maybe–sort of banned her from sleeping in the barn, _she_ said it was nearest to the door, _I_ said it was a death wish in winter. Which it was, in case you've never spent a winter in Mistral rural, by the way." Oscar grumbled.  
Qrow seemed settled at this, and laughed. "She got you good, huh?" He laughed.  
"I'm just glad she couldn't reach her scythe in her sleep…" Oscar muttered.

/

* * *

/

"Uh, Professor Ozpin?" Blake asked from the door, causing them all to look to her. "Um, Goodwitch came by to give your tablet to us, she would've stayed but there's something going on outside that she said she could handle on her own."  
Ozpin nodded. "Thank you, Miss Belladonna," He noted, then motioned for both Oscar and Qrow to follow.  
Ozpin made sure to take his cane with him, seeing as Oscar hadn't picked it up on his way across the room.  
Oscar, was, and even now, was still a curious entity for him that he watched curiously.  
He'd try again later, to see if there was a reaction or not.

./.

Weiss had the tablet, who upon seeing Ozpin, reached out to give it to him.  
Ozpin took the device from her, and booted the machine up, making them all look to him in suspense, while Oscar noted Yang had returned.

"The mission seems very usual," Ozpin started as he read. "The reason she had to put her name down, and not do it anonymously was because the case had contract to Beacon only, so she needed to provide her details. Had the contract not come with the clause, I can assume that Miss Rose would have done it anonymously and we would, in all likelihood, not know of this transgression, had it not gone any differently." Ozpin continued, drawing lines between what he had heard from Oscar, and Ruby's continuous need to return to Mistral — they were in most likelihood a way for her to keep up lien for her upkeep to stay with Oscar, and a way to retreat when she remembered what happened became too much.

"Why would she be doing missions anonymously?" Weiss questioned.  
"Most likely because she remembered every conversation _they_ had, and she wasn't sure if it was safe to alert anyone where she was, or what she was doing." Qrow pondered.  
"I would assume that would be her thinking, yes." Ozpin returned, still not looking up. "Oscar, did she take routine trips to Mistral?" He asked, looking to the boy, who looked a little confused.

"I could never ascertain a routine, if she even had one: she left when she was about out of ammo, she'd leave for a few days, never longer than seven, and come back." Oscar told. "Sometimes she left, saying she was going to Mistral, sometimes she just left and gave a count of days she'd be away." Oscar said.  
He watched the two teams look to each other in a soft way that almost looked sad.  
Just like how Ruby used to look when he first met her.

"If she knew she needed to be on contract, with her full details, why not contact us, so we could help?" Yang asked, a little miffed.  
"…Did she not think we'd help?" Blake muttered.  
"Hey," Weiss started, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure that's not true." She insisted.  
"When she was admitted her scroll had run out of power." Ozpin noted.  
Qrow looked to Oscar. "Did she charge her scroll while with you?" He asked.  
Oscar blinked. "What's a scroll?" He asked.  
Qrow made a derisive noise. "There's your answer kiddos, she was probably only using her scroll limitedly, and it probably only lasted long enough for her to accept the contract and for it to show her where it was." Qrow told them.

"What was the mission for?" Jaune asked.  
"It was the standard clear out of Grimm in nearby and surrounding Vale, why they only asked for one Huntsmen, I intend to find out. But aside from that, it is standard, and routine. And with Miss Rose's prowess with Grimm, she would have well returned within the time she gave herself to get back to Mistral." Ozpin said.  
They all looked to each other.  
"Okay, so if it was standard and routine, why is she like the way she is?" Oscar asked, highly strung and confused.  
"That's a good point." Ren conceded.

Ozpin hadn't finished.  
"It seemed she was able to clear out the amount specified for the village who made the contract, but it seems she made enough notice of herself that bandits caught up with her." Ozpin said, still reading.  
The mention of bandits made several flinch at the remark.  
"Raven's?" Yang was quicker to ask than anyone else, in an angered hiss.  
"Their descriptions do not match, but you would not be incorrect for your assumption at first." Ozpin allowed.

Qrow looked to Ozpin when he didn't continue, almost as if he had stalled.  
"Oz?" He questioned.  
"Well? How did she fight them off?" Yang was asking.  
Ozpin looked up to them. "The description of her fight leads to her emitting a bright silver light, and for the bandits to flee." Ozpin said.

"Silver eyes." Oscar blurted out, with no thought to voice filter.  
Then blinked in embarrassment when they all looked to him in surprise.  
"Sorry, was literally the first thing I noticed that wasn't her weapon being pointed at me." Oscar muttered.  
They all looked to each other, with what looked like expressions of amazement.  
"He is correct in that manner, it does seem she's unlocked that certain power. And it would be the cause of her sudden stasis, should she have had no aptitude over her being able to use it." Ozpin continued.

"So…you're saying she put herself to sleep? _Again_?" Yang asked, incredulously.  
Qrow chuckled. "Seems so." He said.  
Ozpin looked back to Ruby's door. "Though it should not be this severe…" He voiced.  
Qrow blinked, as if he needed a split second longer to remember what Ozpin was talking about. "True. At worst, she should've just fainted, Ruby's not even able to fully breathe on her own." Qrow surmised.

"I will go find the head nurse to give the report to, perhaps she can enlighten us to other reasons." Ozpin noted, then looked to Qrow. "Qrow," He said.  
Qrow nodded when he saw the glance to Oscar, then Ozpin left.  
Qrow then looked to Oscar. "You can go back to Ruby. I'll be along shortly." He said.  
Oscar wasn't about to argue, nodded, and slipped back into the wardroom.

/

* * *

/

Oscar noted that aside from immediate family — that being Yang and Qrow, currently: himself and Ozpin, were the only non-family with unlimited access, her teammates and friends seemed to be on a limited timer they could spend with her, and they spent it rotating one person at a time since Qrow needed to stay per hospital ruling, and no one seemed about to ask Oscar to leave.  
He really did wonder why they let him stay, since he literally was a stranger and he wasn't family.  
He was just so farm boy she decided to stick with.  
Why, he had no idea.

./.

Oscar looked up when he heard rain hitting the window suddenly.  
"Huh, now I'm glad Ruby's knocked out," Oscar mentioned.  
Yang looked from Qrow to Oscar. "Whys that?" She questioned.  
"She hates storms." Oscar said, looking away from the window, and back to Ruby, who this time hadn't even flinched when she heard the rain, while noting the other two in the room actually did, as they most likely understood the significance. "She always seemed to have nightmares when it stormed, it was always her yelling out to someone she couldn't find, or reach." Oscar told.

He hated when Ruby had nightmares because it tore at something inside him that made his eyes water. He looked to them. "But she never cried. I'm not sure if it's because she just got over it, or because she ran out of tears." Oscar told them.  
"Believe me, kiddo," Qrow started, making Oscar look to him. "She never got over it." Qrow said.

Oscar looked Qrow over, he had that odd look about him, while Yang was clutching her opposite arm, with a sort of displaced sad look he couldn't place.  
Hearing she had never gotten over it, whatever it was, tore at him just that little bit more.  
And he knew he wasn't okay.  
None of these people were.  
Ruby most of all.

./Oz/.

Ozpin looked up from his seat to look across the wardroom, he took in Ruby's stillness, and he took in Oscar's whole demeanour of just actual complete dejection.  
He recalled speaking to the nurse, and recounting that the mission she had been on, and what she had done should not have caused the rate of unconsciousness Ruby found herself in.  
 _"Was she at the Battle of Beacon?"_ She had asked.  
Ruby? Naturally she had been, two of them had been there.  
 _"If that's the case, did she see someone die? Perhaps in front of her? Or someone close?"_ The nurse continued to ask.  
 _"She lost someone."_ Ozpin had told her, he recalled taking in the room again.  
 _"Where they close?"_ She questioned.  
Ozpin looked from his cane that was leaning on the chair he was in, back to Oscar across the room.  
 _"They should have been."_

 _/_

* * *

 _/_

Ozpin got up, taking his cane with him.  
"Oscar," He called.  
Oscar looked to him immediately. "Yes?" He called.  
"How about we go get some air, this can't be good for us," Ozpin paused seeing the conflicted look return. "Be rest assured, we will return, we won't stay away long." He told him.  
Oscar relented and nodded.

./OP/.

Oscar let Ozpin led, since the Professor probably knew this place better than he did.  
Since Oscar's knowledge was contained to Ruby's room, where the nearest bathroom was, and when the staff came around to offer him food and drink, which for some reason he didn't need to pay for, and Ruby wasn't about to need anytime soon. Heaven forbid she need it because Oscar wasn't quite sure of its validity of it being actual food, or _where_ it came from. He would literally want to go to its source should she wake up, just so he'd have peace of mind about what she was eating.

Oscar came to stop as Ozpin seemed to walk into what looked like the staff's room, where there was a kettle and some biscuits laid out. Seeing Ozpin walk over to the setup, Oscar followed noting that Ozpin probably ran out of whatever he filled his cup with, and he probably ran on the stuff.  
Oscar had never seen the man sleep, or say he was going to retire, and he always had that neutral calm face that on one or more occasions several of the Huntsmen he now knew said they wished to punch off.  
Oscar wasn't so sure that even if punched off, if it would help.

"Could you hold this?" Ozpin asked, holding out his cane.  
Oscar blinked, it made sense since he probably need both hands to fix something. "Sure." Oscar noted, and took the cane from him to hold it while the man went about doing whatever he came here to do.  
Oscar noted the odd look was back, and he wondered if whatever Ozpin was looking for hadn't been there.

./Oz/.

Ozpin wouldn't say he was annoyed it hadn't worked.  
But, well, he was annoyed giving the boy the weapon hadn't worked like he thought it would.  
They were both running out of time.

./OP/.

"Did the nurses tell you what they've named her condition as?" Ozpin asked, suddenly.  
Both Oscar and Qrow looked up to him, Oscar in his usual chair, with Ozpin's cane leaning against it, while Qrow was leaning against the furthest wall away from any machines he could cause to malfunction because everything hated him.  
"No," Ozpin's reply from both were.  
"They have named her condition as a comatose state, and determined the cause to be her not being able to process through what happened at Beacon properly," Herein Qrow flinched. "As such, due to their referral of her case to a specialist, I've been assured that once she has come to terms with what happened, she will awake. Her using her ability was just the catalyst to send her off." Ozpin explained.  
"How—how do we even…?" Qrow asked, looking alarmed, "If _us_ being here hasn't helped…" Qrow tried.  
Ozpin nodded. "Then we need to figure out a way to bring her back, and quickly, mind you." Ozpin said.  
This caught Qrow's attention. "Why?" He asked.  
They both saw the twitch Ozpin uncharacteristically gave. "Due to this and all hospitals recent policy change, should a patient relying on any type of life support, no matter how small, not improve within two weeks, they are shut off, if not without monetary support from their family to continue them." Ozpin said, with a tone of disapproval in his voice.

This made Qrow leave his wall, in a hurry.  
"Can't you—?!" Qrow started, before stalling.  
Ozpin was already glaring at him. "If I could I would. _We_ cannot afford to intervene with Miss Rose, it will lead her to come under scrutiny she is better off not having put on her. If I knew I could, without consequence that would befall her, help her, I would, Qrow, know and understand this." Ozpin said heatedly. "We're running out of time — we will be breaking our promises to _both_ of them if we're forced to let her go before we even get the chance to repay our debt."

Oscar looked between the two men in utter confusion about what every single word they said actually meant. Because he had no clue.  
Qrow looked as if he was thinking. "Tai's on his way." Qrow noted.  
Ozpin actually blinked at this. "When will he get here?" He questioned.  
"Before two weeks, I know that much." Qrow motioned.  
"Then it might be best, when he gets in, to assume some favours. Then we can act without scrutiny." Ozpin put forth.  
Qrow actually laughed.  
Wait, _who_ , was coming?  
Oscar had no clue.  
But it was probably another Huntsmen.

./.

Oscar was starting to think that Ozpin just randomly left his cane in sight, since most times the man entered, came over to Oscar, to ask some question about Ruby's health, since Oscar never left her side, and the nurses made themselves scarce once they saw Huntsmen roaming the halls, and then proceeded to leave said cane by Oscar's side, no matter which Ozpin decided to do, whether that be stand by her bed, or sit in the other chair on the other side of the wardroom.  
"What do you do while you're not here?" Oscar asked curiously.  
Ozpin blinked at him. "Aside from being Beacon Academy's headmaster — I also now run Beacon's Safe Zone, I need to check in on it every now and again to make sure the Huntsmen stationed there are looked after, no matter my wishes otherwise." Ozpin told him.  
Oscar blinked, well, that made no damned sense.

./.

Oscar found out that Ruby's two teams had shorthand names — RWBY and JNPR. Out of the two, he interacted more with RWBY, who seemed to confer with JNPR outside of the hospital, so they wouldn't crowd it. That, even with the lift in rules, they kept to the three or less present, though Qrow and Ozpin weren't required to stay whenever they were present.  
He also found out they took shifts patrolling both Safe Zones as Huntsmen and Huntress' since school wasn't even close to starting yet, something he had been told Nora was still gleeful about.

If anything, Ozpin confused him the most, his neutrality gave away nothing, and he seemed to have a forgetfulness about his cane, he left it everywhere. And didn't seem to mind.

"Can I ask a question?" Oscar asked.  
Both Qrow and Yang looked up.  
"Sure, kiddo," Qrow responded from his wall.  
"When I first met Ruby, she was sad," Oscar paused when he saw Qrow flinch enough that even Yang looked to him for an explanation. "I asked about it once…Because I wanted to know what I was doing to make her sad, maybe I asked too many questions, or maybe I was too similar, so I asked so I'd know how to avoid it." Oscar looked between the two, Yang was still looking to her uncle questioning, Qrow had that look Oscar regarded as his _I'm kicking myself for my bad luck_ look.  
Oscar assumed Qrow knew why she was sad, and most likely hadn't been able to do anything about it. "I asked if she lost someone," This made them look to him.

"Did she answer?" Qrow questioned immediately.  
Oscar nodded, looking back to Ruby. "She said she did," Oscar stalled when Qrow cursed. "She said it was recent, but I don't think she'd think I would catch her looking sad, but it was hard not to when she just kinda shuts down…" Oscar said.  
Yang looked self–loathing, while Qrow had that look back.  
"I just…" Oscar started again, looking at his hands. "I wanted to know why I was making her sad…" He tried.

./QB/.

Qrow just sighed as he pushed away from the wall, and took in Oscar's depressed face.  
"It's not something you could've avoided, Oscar." Qrow said, making Oscar look to him. "And it's not something you could have changed either." Qrow told him.  
Qrow studied the boy in front of him.  
No, he couldn't have…  
He looked too much like himself.

/

* * *

/

./OP/.

"May I ask a favour of you?" Ozpin asked, suddenly one day, after he came in, dropped his cane by him, and it was just the two of them, and Ruby was as still as ever.  
Oscar knew they were running closer to the end of the first week.  
"Sure?" Oscar asked.  
"Do you speak to her?" Ozpin asked.  
Oscar blinked. "Sometimes, I repeat what the nurses tell me, nothing seems to help, though." Oscar said in a mutter.

Ozpin heard him though. "How do you address her?" He asked.  
Oscar sided his head in confusion. "By…her name? Should I not be?" He questioned. Maybe that was the reasoning behind all the looks he got when he said her name.  
"The person she lost referred to her, most times by title, perhaps you should try it." Ozpin replied.  
Oscar blinked dejected, and sighed. "Am I that similar to the person she lost?" He asked.  
"Do you really wish to know the answer to that?" Ozpin questioned.  
Oscar shook his head, he really didn't. "What did they call her?" He questioned.  
"Mostly by miss and her first name." Ozpin said, not actually saying the name outright.  
Oscar sighed warily, but Ozpin had that neutrality that Oscar sometimes wish he had.  
"I'll be in the staff room should you need me." Ozpin said, and left.

Oscar groaned when he realised that Ozpin left his cane's hilt on his chair.  
Seriously, where was the rest?  
He would need to take it back to the man once he made a fool of himself.  
Anything to get her back, right?  
Oscar took the hilt in his hand and stood up and went closer to the bed.

"Miss and your first name, huh?" Oscar pondered. "Am I really that similar? In that case… Miss Ruby…I apologise." He took a breath in. "I apologise for being so similar to the person you lost." Now he hated his eyes, because they were prickling again.  
"And I won't believe you stuck around just for me to replace him. But I won't apologise for the time I was able to spend with you, Miss Ruby. You do need to wake up and tell me if you want me around though, I'd hate to cause you more pain. If I have, then I apologise again, so much." Oscar said quietly, quickly wiping his eyes, so he could see, and heaved in oxygen painfully.  
"Maybe you're wondering if you've ever caused me pain? You don't need to worry, you've never done it." He looked back to the hilt he had grasped onto as if his life depended on it. "…I need to give this back to Ozpin now, I'll…I'll see you soon." Oscar told her, then walked out her room quietly.

./.

As Oscar lent against the door, one hand limp against his side clutching the hilt of Ozpin's cane, the other arm he crossed across his eyes, and gave way trying to settle his emotions.  
It was too hard to keep inside.

Oscar shook his head, and pushed off the door then left the hallway to find Ozpin to return the hilt of his cane.  
It hurt. It hurt so much.

He felt like his feet were becoming more and more like led the more he moved away from her. His eyes prickled and that area that always hurt when she did seem to throb with as much pain as he felt.  
He found he wasn't okay either.

Oscar met Ozpin half way, who noting his expression, patted his shoulder gently.  
"Do you wish to go back?" Ozpin asked.  
Oscar didn't look up from clutching the hilt, his fingers absentmindedly running over the hilt's motif engravings, finding there was a gouge in it that shouldn't have been there as he traced, but he nodded as he sniffed, hopefully not loudly.  
"I tried… I tried doing what you said, and, and…" Oscar tried, bringing one hand up to wipe his eyes again.  
Oscar felt Ozpin pat his shoulder, and gently turn him back around and back the way he came.  
It would never be Ruby's fault.

He heard Ozpin's intake of breath, and looked up, only to swamped so suddenly by someone just a little taller than him, wearing all white, with possible tears, and had black with red tipped hair.  
It felt as if the universe had gone still as her arms wrapped around his neck, then snapped fast as her body clashed into his.  
"Oscar!" She yelled out.  
"— _Miss Ruby!_ "

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up next: Ruby spends some time getting to know her farmboy.


	9. Part 2 - Chapter 9

**Summary:** Ruby finds her farm boy and proceeds with every attempt she knows to befriend him, while continuously apologising for freaking him out during her attempts at every turn.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Whelp. I apologise for this not getting out sooner, the next chapter was a bugger to finish, and don't even get me started on chapter 11, which is apparently a thing because this is where I kinda run out of ideas. Ruby and Oscar meet up again, boom, end of every thought about this story. Why the hell do I feel this isn't finished?! We've gone off-road, and down the rabbit hole because I'm struggling to deal with how to deal with Salem. Can't she just go away? Be nice to my piece of mind. It really would. And it might be because I will need to right fight scenes in the future, and I can't write them for shit. Tyrian is hard to write!

*This entire chapter is from Ruby's POV

/

* * *

/

 _Faced with the end of everything: She chose to fight and go down swinging. This destiny sucks, it took you away. And I get sad when I think about the life we never got to share, and every now and again — I forget that you aren't here. What do I do? Where do I go? Follow this path, it's all that I know. Lost my hero, and lost my best friend. Faced with a choice what would you choose? So much to gain — So much to lose: Give up your life — Forget who you are? Or live with the weight of letting them down? And I get sad when you think about this life you lead without me there. And every now and again I pretend that I'm still there. Where are you now? What do you feel? Do you still smile? And think of me?  
—_ _Boyonastring_

 _Other music for this chapter  
Fleurie — Hurts Like Hell  
Thousand Foot Krutch — Honest_

Part 2 — Chapter 9

Ruby could also see the farm boy staring at her, frozen on the spot from putting his pitchfork down, having spun around having heard her. She stalled in searching the boy from his black hair, to his freckles, to his heterochromia green-hued eyes.

Hay crunching under her foot was the loudest thing when she unconsciously moved towards him, with her silver eyes wide.  
 _She found him. She found him. She found him—_  
He ended up screaming and tripping over his own feet at the very sight of her appearing out of nowhere.

On the other side of the farm, a lady's voice rang out:  
 _"Oscar! You be careful with those tools!"_

 _/_

* * *

 _/_

Ruby didn't think twice, she actually dropped Crescent Rose, she ignored the thud it made once she did and flew to him, grasping his hand.  
Ruby couldn't think the last time she was that fast outside saving her own butt when a Grimm decided to sneak up on her.  
…When was the last…?

" _Whoopsie_ – _daisy…!_ " Ruby said as she strained to keep the boy she wandered everywhere to find on his feet as he just _flat out stared at her_.  
Which was fine with her, since she was staring, kind of rudely as well, at him for all he was worth.  
His clothing was different then what she remembered. It was a stark contrast.

Once she had him righted, she made sure that he wasn't about to trip over himself again.  
Then, he blinked at her. "I thought you were a Grimm sneaking around like you are! You scared me!" He exploded at her.  
Ruby made sure her eyebrows didn't rise up to her hairline. Bitterly she made the comparison about the boy she knew and the one that was in front of her. His first remark to her wasn't about her eyes.  
He didn't know her.  
And she should have been better prepared for it.

"I'm sorry. That really wasn't my intention to scare you." She apologised.  
Maybe this was a bad idea.  
Ruby saw that he was watching her, she could detect he was interested in her. Going back to her previous conversation in the village — not many people visited out here without a reason.  
"What are you doing out here anyway?" Oscar asked her, as if knowing her thoughts as she went back to pick up Crescent Rose. He didn't seem all that alarmed now that she had aimed it at his face.

Ruby turned back to him, thankfully that he hadn't held that against her. "I was looking for someone." She told him.  
She mentally threw Nora's _Magnhild_ at her thoughts when she saw him look as if she kicked him. It wasn't a good thing to say. It was a bad thing to say!

"Huh. Did you ever find them?" Oscar asked her.  
How he was still interested in her after her blunder, who knew.  
She smiled at him, thanking whoever made this boy so kind. "I found you though, didn't I?" She told him.  
Oscar blinked at her, then gave out a chuckle. "I guess you could say that. I'm Oscar, by the way! Oscar Pine!" He told her brightly, with his hand out to greet her.  
Ruby flinched when he forcibly made her remember he didn't know her.  
It wasn't his fault.  
It was hers.  
"I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose." She told him, meeting him halfway to put her hand in his to shake hands.  
He was a little smaller than she remembered. Or maybe she was that little bit taller.  
He grinned at her. "Nice to meet you, Ruby!" He told her.  
And this version of the boy she knew apparently had a different way of greeting her that made her mentally flinch.

./.

This was fine.  
She sought out to befriend this boy in the first place.  
She could deal with this.  
What she couldn't deal with currently was the way Oscar was looking at her.  
So, she deflected her eyes, and her emotions to take a look around the barn she hadn't seen last night since it was too dark.  
"So, uh, what, what are you doing here?" Oscar asked.  
Ruby privately smile — at least some things didn't change.  
But how to answer him, truthfully, and in a way, that didn't sound weird. She couldn't outright say she was looking for _him_ , specifically, or that she took _months_ to find him. That would probably frighten the poor boy.  
And any hospitality she still miraculously had with him would go out the barn door.  
Though, she did plan to make sure he was safe — she did plan to get rid of any Grimm she found.  
"…Hunting Grimm." Ruby said, hoping she hadn't taken that long to come up with an answer that was truthful. She hated lying, and she hated the thought of lying to someone she knew was to become precious to her.  
She still heard those cries outside of her nightmares sometimes.

"Did you come from Mistral?" Oscar asked.  
She mentally thanked that he had some idea of how to speak.  
Ruby just nodded.  
Come on, she was better than this. She could make conversation! _Not_. Apparently.  
"Well," Oscar noted, picking up his pitchfork, and leaning it against the stacks of hay. "There's not many sightings of Grimm here, so I really can't understand why anyone would come out so far." He continued, looking back to her. "You might get bored out here, if this is your assigned area." Oscar told her.

Ruby mentally frowned at his wordings. Assigned area? She might get bored? With Oscar around? Hardly.  
She was paranoid enough for the both of them about the Grimm, so he didn't need to worry about that.  
But it seemed Oscar really didn't know much about how Huntress' worked. Really. _Assigned_ _Area_ , Oscar?  
Which worked in her favour.  
So much, she gave a smile she didn't remember having. "Don't worry! I'll protect this place with my life!" Ruby told him, thumbing her chest to prove it.  
She would prove it if she had to.  
If that meant he kept her around and didn't mind her staying — she would do just about anything.

/

* * *

/

Some days, some days Ruby would wake up dazed as to where she was, then she'd see Oscar, and he wouldn't greet her like how he did in her memories.  
And it felt like the world was crashing in around her.  
There was no way in hell she'd bring the Grimm here because she had an inability to think things through.  
And she was old enough to know she had made a mistake thinking she was alright.  
"Hey, Oscar?" She said, highly strung.  
If he noticed her high emotions, he didn't question it. "What's up?" He asked.  
How was this boy so kind?!  
"I'll be back in two days, okay?" She told him.  
She watched him blink in alarm. "Is something wrong?" He questioned.  
"Just some Grimm." She told him. It was the truth, the way she was feeling — she would attract them.  
Oscar blinked at her. "Oh. …Okay, then. …You'll be back?" He questioned.  
Ruby blinked at his need for reassurance, but she nodded. "I'll be back." She told him.

Ruby would need to apologise when she got back for scaring him about her bursting in petals in her momentary relapse in her forgetting _he didn't know_ about that part of her.

/

* * *

/

"How do you do that?!" Oscar near yelled.  
Ruby blinked. "Yeah. Sorry about that…" She muttered once she came back.  
Oscar just stared at her incredulously.  
She hoped he wouldn't get scared of her.

"Yo! Oscar!" Ruby called, seeing him return to the barn as she woke up, once she looked up from her bag hearing him come in.  
She never woke with the sun.  
Oscar looked at her and brightened like said sun. "Hey, Ruby! Up now?" He called as he walked to put away whatever tool he had on him.  
Ruby nodded. "I need to leave for seven days, I might be back sooner." Ruby told him.  
She noted he looked a little downcast about that, curiously.  
"Why are you never up with the sun so I can talk to you more before you decide to leave?" He questioned, grumpily.  
She laughed. "I'm awake when decent people are, Oscar!" She screeched, preparing to leave by gathering her stuff she had thrown all about the hay she stayed in.  
She stilled when she heard him laugh, she looked at him from trying to find her last ammo pack.  
Oscar hadn't stopped laughing.  
She gave up trying to find her ammo pack. "Ugh. If you find an ammo pack, it's mine!" She yelled as she burst into petals and raced towards the train station in time for the train.  
He was still laughing.

/

* * *

/

Ruby didn't mind how familiar the train guards were with her now, but she was comfortable in knowing they didn't know her name, nor did she know theirs.  
It never meant she got a free ride, but it did mean she knew the schedule by heart by now.  
She seemed to be the only person travelling back and forth to Mistral.

Ruby, when she had first come to Mistral, had been awed by its structure and mechanics.  
Now, she just kinda hated it.  
She hated how she couldn't get a free pass to charge her scroll — not before she got busted.  
She hated that she needed to accept all missions anonymously.

Though, that last bit was all on her because she didn't count the days anymore, and she couldn't keep in contact with anyone who could know the state of whether or not Salem and her cronies were dead.  
She was in two minds about Oscar not recognising her: for its two reasons why.  
And she hated that part of herself.

./.

But she would always make sure she was back at his farm by the end date she gave herself.  
She could see the not–very–well–concealed fear he gave off when she said she needed to leave.  
Oscar was afraid she would leave, and never come back.  
Well, she knew that feeling.  
And she never wanted to be the cause of the feeling.

Because she gave herself as long as she did, she was able to take on several missions, and be paid that amount in compensation.  
She had her ammo packs, and no one said a word about how many she was able to get.  
Though she hated having that many because bandits have eyes.  
At least at Oscar's farm, she didn't have to worry about pickpocketers.  
Soon enough she paid for her return ticket — because she, unfortunately, knew, she'd be back because Grimm hated her.

Ruby had missed being able to see the farm.  
She flew up to its highest point to take in its scenery, and to see where Oscar was.  
" _What is she doing?!_ " Ruby heard him yell, hearing his voice, she found him immediately.  
"Hey! Oscar! I'm back!" Ruby yelled, happy to be back.  
Whelp. Good feeling gone when she saw he was staring at her in horror.  
No, no, no, no, no!

Ruby, never so fast enough to reappear in front of him, he was still looking at her in horror.  
Oscar must have seen something in her face, that made him sigh. "Look, okay, I _know_ you can do that petal thing, but seriously, you could fall and hurt yourself!" He scolded her, again.  
Ah. She had only scared him. She had forgotten again that he didn't know her since it had been awhile since she was reminded, it was a poignant thought, that it gave way to her smiling at him small and sadly.  
"Oscar! That _petal thing_ makes sure I don't hurt myself!" She tried to tell him again, maybe the fourth time was the charm.  
But, the way he looked at her, she guessed not.

/

* * *

/

Ruby dropped down into her hay and mentally counted how many ammo packs she could feel as she did. Ruby looked at Oscar noting he was looking at her with that expression of his that seemed annoyed–at–her and despaired–at–her at the same time.  
"Why do you sleep here?" Oscar asked again.  
Ruby froze, was he tired of her? Was he gonna send her away? Please…!  
"…You…You don't want me here?" She asked, not able to keep seeing his eyes looking at her in fear, at his hand stretched out trying to get to _her_.  
Oscar, for better or for worse, took hold of her hand. "No! That's not it! I just thought you wouldn't be comfortable sleeping here!" Oscar near yelled, freaking out just as much as she mentally was.

Ruby watched him, hope rising in her. "…I can stay?" She asked in a whisper.  
He stared at her incredulously. "You can stay, you don't need my permission to use leftover hay, Ruby! I'm just annoyed it's not an actual bed you're sleeping on." He told her, grumpily as he always was whenever she told him that using the hay was fine.  
She was not, on any terms, using his bed.  
It was _his_! Not hers! Why he kept saying she could use it…  
"Your leftover hay is fine, Oscar. I'm not uncomfortable at all, and it is closer to the door." Ruby told him.  
It was closer to the door that kept the Grimm and all other type of nasties away, it meant they would go for her first, and not him. She could keep him safe.  
She would.

./.

Ruby came back in a rush having been gone five days this time.  
Not exactly thinking, she rushed over to the field where Oscar was working.  
"Ruby!" Oscar yelled as she reappeared with a salute for the boy.  
She immediately flinched. "Sorry, Oscar! I won't do it again!" Ruby yelled.  
She needed to get better at the reappearing side of things.

./.

This time he was working in the orchard fields when she came back.  
"Ruby!" He yelled before she realised she had shaken the trees too much.  
Whoops.  
"Sorry!" She yelled, immediately stopping, and saving the boy from falling off his ladder.  
She was trying to get used to how to tell him without frightening him out of his work.

./.

She walked up to him.  
"Hey." She voiced.  
Oscar screamed out in fright.  
Hmm. She was behind him. Not good. He hadn't sensed her.  
Her bad. She forgot again.  
"Sorry! I swear I'm not doing this on purpose!" She screamed.

./.

Ruby noted that nothing seemed to work, so she removed it completely from the equation.  
Her first point of call was to return sometime when he would expect her.  
He never got frightened over seeing her in the morning, asleep in the hay.  
So, she started doing that.  
She noted that because of this, he never got scared anymore at her return, and her problem was solved.  
Ruby just needed to factor that in when she estimated her days.  
Easy.  
Though she did wonder why the hay she slept on was always the same in thickness — she would've thought her body weight would kill some of it.  
But, who knows, she couldn't farm like Oscar could.

./.

Today was orchard field day.  
Apples.  
Oscar and his apples.  
Ironic that it called up nostalgia for her.  
"Hey, Ruby?" He called from beneath the tree branch she took up lying in a huff once she realised that she couldn't pick up farming in a day flat. How did _she_ do it? How did _she_ know which apples to pick? When all she did, was pick duds?  
"Hmm?" She asked, keeping her grumpy feelings about herself to herself.  
"Why do you come back here from Mistral? Is your assignment not over yet?" Oscar asked as he worked.  
Ruby paused to take the boy in again. He…Really didn't know anything about being a Huntsmen, or what she did as a career choice. His choice of words over her career, _assignment_ , was ironically a self–given one at best.  
He would have freaked when Ozpin came along.  
And, as for what she knew of her headmaster … he didn't explain things very well.

"Well, I like it here." Ruby told him.  
"But why?" He asked.  
Ruby stared at him, she couldn't tell him _why_ , and she couldn't keep up her pleasantries as her mind seemed to shut down on her.  
She hated that most — she knew she needed to tell him something, anything, even if it was something to deviate him away from asking. But she couldn't.  
Even her own irate at herself couldn't stop the shutdown.

/

* * *

/

Did Ruby ever mention she hated winter?  
Well, she hated winter.  
She hated the snow, and the cold it brought with it. For some reason, Mistral seemed worse than Patch in that regards of how much snow poured out of the clouds above.  
She didn't remember how she got back to Oscar, but she thinks vaguely that Oscar greeted her by the door.  
He shouldn't be up, it was late. She should apologise.  
Maybe she did, maybe she didn't — she couldn't remember except feeling irony at feeling too hot for the weather.

Everything was a blur to how she got back, to where she was, to whose room she was in, or why her shoes were off, and her scythe by the door. The snow outside the window did not help her in answering any of those.

Ruby looked to the door when it opened, and surprisingly, Oscar was there.  
Oh…  
"…Oscar?" She asked.  
She mentally frowned at why her voice sounded like she decided to eat gravel. She really hoped she hadn't though.  
"Hey, there, Ruby, are you feeling any better?" Oscar asked.  
He was fine at least. It was just her.  
She was confused at what had happened. "The snow…I got sick?" She asked.

Ruby watched as Oscar nodded and made his way over to the chest near the other side of the room and sat down on top of it.  
"Sorry that I had to bring you up here without your permission, but you would've gotten worse had you stayed below. It gets too cold." Oscar told her.  
Oh _no_.

Clarity at where exactly she was, and in most likelihood whose bed she was in.  
"I'm in your room!" Her screech exploded from her.  
Ruby stalled when he just laughed. "Yeah, yeah, you are. I apologise for it, but I wasn't about to stand about while you got worse because the barn below isn't exactly insulated." Oscar started, causing her to pause at the emotion in his voice.  
She had heard it before, faintly.  
He wouldn't bend with that voice. She was being scolded. She knew that, so she hung her head. "I'm sorry…" She muttered.

She was sorry for walking into his life. For taking his hay. For taking too much. For taking his bed. His room…  
The boy jumped off his seat, to come to her and place a hand on her shoulder.  
How on Remnant was this boy so kind?  
"Why are you sorry?" He questioned her.  
Ruby went through the many reasons, and couldn't speak which one was more louder in her head at that particular moment.  
"I've told you many times before that you could take my bed, hell, if you're gonna stay here, I'm literally telling you, you can have it." Oscar told her when she didn't say anything.

That sounded alarming.  
"No! I couldn't do that!" She persisted, shaking her head imploringly.  
She couldn't keep his bed, it was his!  
Ruby stalled mentally when he gave her that stern look she wasn't used to ever seeing on his face. "I'm serious, Ruby." He told her. "You were really sick last night! If you're gonna stay here, you need to keep warm! The barn isn't going to help you anymore!" Oscar said.  
That sounded even more alarmingly final.  
"You don't want…?" Ruby tried to start.  
The bed sprung back as Oscar launched himself from it to pace its length.  
Even through everything, it made her smile sadly and small in noting he still paced when too keyed up.

"That isn't what I'm saying, Ruby! I want you to stay here! I'm not gonna force you to stay, but I'm not allowing you to stay in the hay — all its gonna do is make you sick again! You can stay with me, or if you're so insistent, that you won't stay with me, stay in the local village!" He said heatedly in a hiss.  
He wanted her to stay.  
 _He wanted her to stay!_

Oscar ended up sighing. "I don't want you to go, Ruby." He told her quietly.  
Ruby looked at him in confusion. "…But if I'm not allowed to stay in the barn…" She started in a murmur.  
"Stay here." Oscar said.  
She stared at him. "Stay here?" She questioned, and he nodded. "…Where will you…?" She continued.  
Oscar just grinned. "Watch your feet!" He said.

Ruby was incredibly annoyed that Oscar had enough foresight to know how to play his hand with her.  
Which was how it ended with him making sure she took the bed.

/

* * *

/

"Can I ask you a question?" Oscar asked once when she'd taken him to the other barns where the animals were housed. "You don't need to answer if you don't want to." He quickly added.  
Ruby looked at him. "Sure?" She answered, not quite sure where he was taking this.  
"Sometimes you look like you're sad…" Oscar started. Ruby's mind went blank, and whatever he said next seeped into one ear and out the other.  
She hadn't been good enough to keep it from him.  
Ruby wasn't good enough to hide it from him.  
"…Did you lose someone…? Do I remind you of them?" Oscar's voice was saying, who knows when and where and if she heard it correctly.

Ruby looked at him, at his devastated face. "I did…I did, sort of lose someone, recently," Oscar flinched. "But, but it's not your fault. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way…" Ruby told him.  
She cringed at her own delivery, _she_ had already said something like that to him.  
Oscar shook his head. "You haven't. I just wanted to ask so I knew how to make you not so sad in the future." He told her.  
Ruby just stared at him: _he_ said the same thing too.  
She couldn't bring herself to say anything else, or she would need to tell him she needed to leave immediately.

./.

Ruby eventually got him back for the whole bed thing.  
"Three days!" She promised. "And since I'll be coming back, and you've banned me from the haystacks, most likely be coming back at night, I'll trip over you, so you can take the bed!" Ruby said, not to close to gloating, but on the way there.

It was like there was limited Grimm population around the surrounding farm, and she needed to venture out further and further to catch them.  
She had yet to get to whatever was causing them to go further away from unprotected populations of farmland.  
But she could count Oscar lucky that because there was some type of negatively further out, that his farm had been left alone for the most part.

She wandered back into Oscar's room when she returned and noted happily that he was still up.  
"Ruby!" He called in delight at seeing her back. "You're back early!" He told her as she reformed.  
She laughed. "I can't catch up with a friend?" She asked.  
She really did need to keep her smugness to herself — but she was still happy with the fact that she was able to get back early.

/

* * *

/

Ruby eyed the bird in the sky critically for signs it wasn't a crow.  
Seeing the white feathers, she immediately pulled out Crescent Rose and shot the damn thing.  
She sighed at her mistake when she heard Oscar, aside her yelped in fright.  
"Why do you hate magpies?" Oscar asked, his voice sounded incredulous.  
She turned to him in confusion. "Wasn't it heading for your crops?" She questioned.  
Oscar blinked at her. "True. But so does every other bird." He said.  
Ruby blinked. She couldn't exactly tell him that her uncle was named after a crow which was why she detested in shooting crows.  
Ravens on the other hand…  
"I can't distinguish between crows and ravens unless they're really close — I don't mind crows, but I have a dislike for other birds." She told him.  
Ruby tried _really_ hard not to giggle at the facial expression he gave her because of her answer.

./.

"Hey, Oscar?" Ruby called.  
Oscar paused and looked at her. "Yeah, Ruby?" He asked, spearing his farm tool into the dirt and wiping his brow.  
"I need to head out, 'kay? Won't take more than five days! And I'll be back!" Ruby promised, grinning happily.  
"Alright, you have what you need?" He asked.  
Ruby mentally groaned, since he always asked now since that one time she forgot her ticket. But she showed her bag all the same. "All set!" She told him happily.  
Oscar smiled. "I'll see you in five days, then." Ruby nodded and set off. "Ah! Wait! Ruby!" Oscar called, and caused her to turn around.  
"'Sup?" She called back.

She watched as Oscar dug into his pocket and threw her an apple. "Take this!" He called as he threw it.  
She caught it in surprise, but then realised what it was. "Thanks! I'll see you!" She yelled and took off towards the station in an explosion of flower petals.

/

* * *

/

Ruby needed to go to Mistral to pick up some mission that could pay her way for replacing all the ammo she had used up when Grimm became a high frequent thing.  
It was as if the things hibernated in winter or something.

She snuck into the bar and snuck into the booth that she could slam her dead scroll into, in hopes she could get a little charge out of it before they noticed she hadn't ordered anything and wasn't of age.  
Once her scroll had enough charge to boot up, an alert mission came up, immediately asking for a Huntsmen in Vale.  
 _Vale_ …  
Ruby immediately tapped it to see its requirements.  
She noted, annoyingly that, while in Vale, it required a contract–basis to Beacon Academy.  
Which she was, but it meant she couldn't do it anonymously.  
She noted that it was the only mission posted.  
She also saw that while it was in Vale, the lien was up there, and the mission simple.

Ruby would be back well in her time estimate, and she wouldn't need to leave for a long time once completed.  
She immediately put in her details for the system to recognise her as a Beacon huntress.  
She was immediately excepted, with details forwarded to her scroll.  
"Hey! You!"  
Whoops.  
Time to go.

/

* * *

/

Ruby really should have expected that there would be complications since she had none getting into Vale, or to the village, her scroll was able to show her before she even had the time to do anything else with it once she was in range of Wi-Fi.  
But _**no**_.  
The Grimm were easy to take care of.

The unexpected bandits? No so much.  
They weren't in the job description.  
And they were gonna delay her if they didn't get out the way!  
It had to be bandits! Why not more Grimm?! She could take on Grimm!  
 _ **Why did it need to be bandits?!**_

Something within her finally snapped. For some reason, her head started to feel like it was splitting with how much her feelings just snapped at the bandits. Then she felt groggy, then sleepy.  
Scroll. She needed her…  
And she could remember thinking that she was correct — she wasn't going to get back to Oscar on time.

/

* * *

/

Ruby didn't really know where she was.  
But she was floating.

./.

Where was Oscar?  
Was he gonna be okay? She hoped so.

./.

 _"Miss and your first name, huh?"_  
That voice sounded like Oscar's…  
Maybe was alright after all.

./.

 _"Am I really that similar?"_  
This was confusing. Similar? To who?

./.

 _"In that case… Miss Ruby…I apologise."_  
Oscar?!  
How?!

./.

" _But I won't apologise for the time I was able to spend with you, Miss Ruby._ "  
How!  
She was struggling through the darkness she had just realised that had bogged and suffocating her.

./.

 _"You do need to wake up and tell me if you want me around though, I'd hate to cause you more pain."_  
What on Remnant was he talking about?! Why wouldn't she want him around?!

./.

 _"…I need to give this back to Ozpin now, I'll…I'll see you soon."_  
Oscar! Come back!  
She couldn't lose him again!  
Give what back!? Not the echoy–voices thing! He couldn't leave! Not again!

./.

Ruby opened her eyes with a gasp of air she didn't realise she needed.  
She sat up with a panicked–urgent noise when she took in the room and noticed she was alone.  
Oscar….  
Where was…?

She yanked on any wire she was wired into, she tugged and pulled until they gave way.  
Then she was out the door, into a hallway.  
She didn't know where she was.  
She looked both ways.  
She only saw two figures, but the smaller was enough to cause her to rush off in that direction.

Ruby saw it was Oscar.  
Oscar! It was _Oscar_!  
She could care less for the adult next to him or the fact she was crying, as she slammed into him, in a rush and wrapped her arms around him.  
"Oscar!" She yelled in joy.  
"— _Miss Ruby!_ "

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up Next: Feat Roses, stupid canes and magical curses that really don't know when to give up. And Oscar kills a broom. For reasons.


	10. Part 2 - Chapter 10

**Summary:** Oscar destroys the floor. Ruby really doesn't know when to quit. Piggyback rides return. Feat stupid canes and magical curses that also don't know when to quit. Oscar destroys a broom. For Reasons. Tyrian is still a thing I'm avoiding, but he at least gets a mention, so yay? Qrow breaks a glass and it flies everywhere. Cutlery seems to hate Oscar since he's always losing them under the table. Hugs are needed.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** You guys might have noticed that for Ao3 the official relationship for this is now recognised as " _Rosegarden_ " since these two idiots won't leave me alone. Nothing explicit since the rating hasn't changed. I doubt I'd be able to write anything more than the reason I felt the needs to recognise the ship as something you probably won't be able to blindsight anymore. It is in future chapters (that I wrote in procrastination over writing the Tyrian fight scenes). So that's the reason if you're confused at the change.

For FF users, be aware of this fact when reading in the future.

Also, a big thanks to _BloomingLight (FF & Amino)_ for letting me rant, and seeing them die from adorableness over these two dorks.  
/

* * *

/

 _Here take a ticket, welcome to my paradise. But there's a price to pay — When no one can remember that they've died. I've watched a thousand times, the sound of a burnt-out heartbeat. Here's all you reason — You can throw it to the wind. And I'd be lying to myself If I thought — "Now it's over." Maybe I should say it louder? Just listen to that echo. You take a step and hear the sound of warning, disregarded pain. Cause_ _in_ _the other side it's a promise — There's no more silence. Knock, knock, who's there? Not my laughter! I am drowning, falling faster. Racing on the tracks — The answers: Just another shattered flower.  
—_ _SharaX_ _  
(Melt Ver)_

 _Other music for this chapter  
Radical Face — Welcome Home  
Snow Patrol — Set Fire to the Third Bar_

Part 2 _—_ Chapter 10

Oscar felt as if the universe had gone still as her arms wrapped around his neck, then snapped as her body crashed into his.  
"Oscar!" She yelled out as everything metaphorically inside Oscar's head exploded at seeing her.  
"— _Miss Ruby!_ " He yelled out in surprise, with one arm coming up quick to cradle her head, while the other opening the cane and spearing it into the ground with muscle memory he didn't remember having a second ago, so he had that hand free to keep her there — to wrap around her waist. He didn't spare a thought to trying to figure out how Ozpin was standing next to him.

He wasn't expecting her to fly at him.  
As she shifted into him, her grip on him weakening, Oscar literally heaved her up, to make sure most of her weight was on his shoulders as she nuzzled into him.  
"Miss Ruby?" He asked, feeling her start to tremble. "How on Remnant…?" He voiced, in shock and a little in confusion.  
" _Foun_ _' you…_ " He heard her mutter.  
"…I didn't go very far, Miss Ruby." He reminded.  
Ruby shook her head into his neck, still trembling.

"Did you rip anything when you woke?" Oscar asked, not exactly able to search her over with how close she was. He'd be damned if he was going to move her away.  
When he had left her, she was plugged into a least two machines — ones of which were keeping her alive.  
Ruby gave out an incoherent mumble.  
"Perhaps, it might be best if you return Miss Rose to her bed, while I find her nurse?" Ozpin voiced.  
Oscar looked at the man next to him. "Would you be able to apologise for the floor as well?" He asked, seeing as he kinda broke it with the cane.  
Ozpin gave out a chuckle as he took out the cane from the floor, leaving a hole in its wake. "Or, I can just find Glynda." He said.  
Oscar blinked as he shuffled Ruby again, feeling her slip. "Or that!" He said with his attention trying to go back to Ruby.

Oscar watched as Ozpin wandered down the hall, it was then he lost his self-battle on not focusing on her as he looked back to Ruby.  
"Come on, Miss Ruby!" He said, straining with her weight again. "Normally you're the one giving me the piggyback ride!" He groaned.  
Ruby just whined at him.  
Yep. That was fair enough.

./.

Oscar nearly fell into her when gravity took Ruby from his back altogether, back onto the bed, he gave a yelp as he tried to make sure he wouldn't fall with her: his added weight would not help her breathe. He panted as he looked back to her: she had lost consciousness somewhere between hugging him to high heaven, and halfway between him hauling her up onto his back to get her back to her room.  
But she still had hold of his hand, even while he went about getting onto his knees to stretch over her to put up the barrier up the other side of the bed. He wouldn't doubt she would fall, but she would at least fly out of her bed should she, unfortunately, wake up and he was out for the bathroom or something.

Oscar got off her bed, and she whined when he tried to let her hand go.  
He regarded her, how she was able to be aware he was there, in the state she was in, he didn't know. "You need to let go, Miss Ruby…" He tried.  
She just whined.  
Yep. He wasn't getting his hand back.  
It wasn't like he could say no to her anyway.

Oscar went about making sure the other rail was back up, he looked back to the chair and hooked his foot around it to bring it closer since it was too far away if she wasn't about to let his hand go.  
It was then the nurse from before came into the room.  
"She made an escape, huh?" She questioned.  
Oscar just chuckled. "That she did. I figured we'd see if the bed rails would help the next attempt." He said brightly.  
The nurse barked a laugh as she came around the bed to do her checks. "She is very lucky she didn't tear anything in her escape attempt. Do you expect another?" She asked, hooking the girl back up to a heart monitor that was connected via her finger.  
Oscar thought about it. "Only if I'm not in the room. She kinda bunked the first time because I was out." He told her truthfully.  
The nurse looked thoughtful. "We might need to make sure you don't leave then." She said playfully.  
Oscar just laughed, though she was probably right. Either way, it would take a lot to remove him from her room.

./.

Ruby finally let his hand go, and he shook it to get feeling back into it.  
The nurse was at Ruby's chart records as he pressed his fingers to life again.  
"Did she give any recall she could talk?" She was asking.  
Oscar looked at her and nodded. "She spoke before she went under again." He told her.  
Anything else was immediately forgotten when Ruby grumbled. "Miss Ruby!" He said, jumping up so fast that he nearly jerked over the chair he was until just recently sitting in.

Oscar knew his face must have lit up like a damn beacon when she opened her eyes. But he didn't otherwise care very much.  
"Ow…" She groaned.  
"That's what happens when you wank wires, Miss Rose." The nurse commented.  
Ruby looked at her, with a sheepish expression. "Whoops…?" She voiced.  
Oscar snorted in amusement.  
But the nurse smiled. "Please refrain from leaving your bed unless monitored or told otherwise, in the future Miss Rose." She told her.  
"Got it." Ruby told her in a groan.

The nurse smiled as she put the chart back and came over to the other side of the bed, fetching what looked like a remote, that once pressed moved the bed into a sitting position.  
"Now," She started, putting the remote back. "Tell me how you feel."  
Ruby blinked, then categorised herself while looking herself over. "Uh… I kinda hurt… all over?" She asked more herself than anyone else.  
"That makes sense." Qrow's voice filtered through from the door.  
Both Oscar and Ruby looked at him.  
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby celebrated seeing him.  
It brought a smile to the man as he walked into the room, making way for Ozpin to come back in as well.  
The nurse looked at Qrow. "Her condition is more relatable to her being a Huntress?" She questioned.  
Qrow who was dragging along the other chair looked at her and nodded.  
The nurse brightened at that. "Well, that's a relief! She'll be fine in no time then!" She sighed in relief. "Just tell me your opinions once you're sure!" She told them, and just like that she left.

"…Are all nurses like that?" Oscar asked, perplexed at the nurse's sudden vanishing act.  
"More or less." Ozpin told him.  
Oscar just ended up shrugging, then got up to ruffle Ruby's hair. "Hey!" She giggled, but she made no move to stop him.  
"Since you've got these guys, you won't mind if I leave for a second, will you?" Oscar asked.  
Her eyes blew wide in silent panic, it was then her hands rushed up to grasp the wrist of the hand he still had on her head. "You're—You're coming back, though, right?" She asked.  
Oscar gave her a gentle thump on the head with his now-closed fist. "You know it. Technically, I'm human too, I need the bathroom." He told her.  
She just laughed.

Ruby looked back to Qrow and Ozpin once the wardroom door closed behind Oscar.  
She might be in a little trouble since she didn't exactly tell anyone she was leaving.  
Since she forgot scrolls no longer worked outside of city limits since the tower fell, and wouldn't work between schools. She tried once she got to Mistral.  
"So, getting back to how you're feeling…" Qrow started.  
Ruby nodded. "Hurt all over." She told him and watched that both men looked at each other.  
"Do you remember when your elder emitted a silver light to harm Cinder?" Ozpin asked curiously.  
Ruby flinched but nodded. "She did that to the Grimm a few times as well…" She muttered.  
"You're in pain because you, yourself, have woken up that ability." Ozpin said.

Ruby blinked.  
Huh.  
"Well, I guess that makes sense." Ruby voiced.  
"Though, for some reason, when you woke your ability, you fell so hard you were categorised as comatose. When you should not have…" Ozpin told her.  
Qrow glared at her. "How long has that outburst being stewing for?" He asked.  
Ruby chuckled nervously, shrinking back. "…How—How long have I been gone…?" She questioned timidly.  
Both men blinked at each other than back to her. "Almost a year." Qrow told her.  
Ruby just grumbled as annoyed as she could be when she felt like she had been thrown under several large-bodied Grimm. "Then about that long then." She said and crossed her arms.  
"I'm not the only one who is angry that you left without a trace, Ruby." Qrow said sternly.  
Ruby flinched.  
She was in trouble.

./.

Both Ozpin and Qrow looked towards the door when they heard it open, only to see Oscar returning.  
He closed the door behind him before walking back over to Ruby's side.  
"Is she alright?" He questioned, looking to her sleeping form to them. He could gather she had exhausted herself just by talking.  
Qrow nodded. "Just overdue." He said.  
Oscar frowned, before he understood, before he sighed and sat in the chair he had claimed since day one of being in this room. "I told you she would be sad," He started, and Qrow flinched.  
"How do you…?" Qrow asked, looking from a neutral-curious Ozpin back to Oscar.

Oscar got up and took hold of Ozpin's cane he was leaning against Ruby's bed.  
"It's mine." He told them. He watched them look to each other in confusion. "Here," He elaborated, he automatically curled the weapon up as he twisted the weapon about, and he showed the underside of the release mechanism, and pointed out a little motif, that seemed etched out more than the others. "It happened at Mistral." He added.  
"So it is from the other timeline…" Ozpin voiced, taking the cane back, and looking carefully at the gouge he hadn't noticed.  
Qrow was too busy staring.  
Oscar nodded. "Technically." He told them.

Qrow minded Oscar. "How much do you remember?" He asked, curiously.  
Oscar looked at him "Hmm?" He voiced, then. "Oh. All of it." He said offhandedly.

"All of it?" Qrow echoed.  
Oscar nodded. "From when Ozpin decided to talk to me at my farm, 'til now, yeah. It's weird, I'm getting used to it. Again." Oscar grumbled.  
"All the other timeline stuff as well?" Qrow asked, incredulously.  
Oscar's eyebrow rose at his question. "Unless I'm having a really _weird_ hallucination, and no one else sees Ozpin standing next to you, then I'm _really_ sure this Ozpin has never talked to me like that." Oscar retorted.  
Ozpin eyed Qrow as the man stared at the two comically before he looked back to Oscar. "How are you doing?" Ozpin questioned curiously.  
Oscar shrugged, but his head still notched to one side when Ozpin spoke. "A thousand years is a long time to get used to. Again." He said, then looked back to monitor Ruby. "…I still need to apologise to her…" He muttered, then sighed. "I knew she was going to be sad, but I really didn't think she would take on all of Anima to find me when she knew I wouldn't remember her…" Oscar told the, looking from Ruby back to Qrow. "I should have told you where I lived." He said, shrugging apologetically.

Qrow just sighed. "Not that it would have helped — she didn't tell anyone she left." Qrow growled.  
Oscar blinked and sided his head. "How long…?" He asked, curiously.  
"It's been almost a year since we last saw Miss Rose." Ozpin put forth.  
They didn't mind Oscar cursing at that.

/

* * *

/

It still tore at Oscar when he woke up in fright hearing Ruby scream.  
Calling her name usually calmed her down, but Oscar never got his hand back.  
It didn't make him feel any better knowing that her nightmares were about him leaving. Storms made things worse. And now he understood _why_.

./.

He looked up tiredly as the nurse came in. He may have gotten up earlier than he was used to, so he could make sure he wouldn't be seen beside her. It may cause unnecessary questions her screaming would have caused if he didn't.  
"Where did the clothes she wore when she came in go?" Oscar asked her.  
The nurse smiled and pointed to the wardrobe behind him. "Everything on her is in there, naturally her weapon is unloaded." She told him.  
Oscar nodded.

"How is she today?" She asked, knowing as she had just started her shift, the boy never left the wardroom unless he needed to. She watched in silence as the boy got up and went towards the wardrobe, only to put out a blood-red tattered cloak that he draped over Ruby.  
"She's able to walk to and from the bathroom." Oscar noted as he sat back down.  
The nurse sided her head. "Oh? Then why is she asleep?" She questioned.  
Laughter bubbled out of Oscar. "Because it's before eight." He told her.  
If he had learnt anything with his own two personal lifetimes — it was that Ruby hated mornings.  
He knew from Ozpin's memories that Ruby hated morning classes, and her and her two teams were often late for them.  
It was a constant source of amusement.  
It was how he knew something was troubling her, if she was up with the sun. It never boded well.  
The nurse laughed. "Well, when she decides to get up. Tell her she can leave!" The nurse told him.  
Oscar grinned. "Gladly." He noted.

./.

Oscar hadn't been in the grounds near the hospital as himself before so while Ruby was getting ready, dressed, and hunted down enough ammo to fill Crescent Rose, he would wander and wait for her. He knew she would be able to find him almost anywhere since she braved most of Anima — the hospital grounds should be child's play for her.  
At the entrance courtyard, he met Yang, most likely on her way to see Ruby.  
"Hey there!" She yelled, waving at him, once she got over her surprise at seeing him.  
Oscar grinned. "Hey! How are you doing?" He questioned.  
"On break from patrol." Yang told him. "You?" She questioned.  
Oscar chuckled, but then stalled. "—Don't try it, Miss Ruby." He suddenly said completely deadpanned, then suddenly Ruby appeared at Oscar's side.  
"No fair!" She cried as she pouted.  
Yang stared. "Uh, what?"  
"YANG!" Ruby yelled and launched herself at her sister.  
Oscar laughed brightly at Yang's surprised look.

Even more when Ruby became a blabbering mess when trying to apologise.  
Some things really didn't change.

/

* * *

/

Both team RWBY and JNPR came to find both Ruby and Oscar, nostalgically back in the cafeteria hall.  
The only difference was that the tables and chairs hadn't been pushed to one side chaotically, and Oscar was leaning against what looked like a wooden pole that may have once been a broom.  
Where he got it, why he had mangled a broom in the first place, they really didn't want to know.  
"No! Seriously! I can!" Ruby was trying to persuade him.  
Oscar just cocked his head at her fondly, then in a split second, dropped into a crouch, and shoved out his pole out to take one foot out.  
Ruby made a loud indignant screech: she flailed like an octopus as she lost her balance.  
However, she didn't meet the floor, as Oscar quickly moved to grasp one of her flailing arms.  
"See?" Oscar said to her.

Ruby just grumbled as she stalked over to the nearest bench to sit on it grouchily with a pout.  
Oscar just laughed at her, as he twisted his pole around up onto his shoulders to lean his arms around it, so they hung off it.  
It was then he noticed they had company.  
"Hey!" He greeted warmly.  
This cheered Ruby up.

Oscar watched as Ruby failed to try and apologise for leaving.  
"I forgot that because the tower was down scrolls wouldn't work…" Ruby was saying.  
He smiled at her, leant his borrowed would-be-in-a-pinch-weapon against the bench and wandered over to the food on offer uneasily.  
He didn't know where it had come from. Maybe he could ask the cooks.  
He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Oscar?" Ruby asked.  
He turned to her and grinned. "Do you think if I ask, they'll tell me where the food came from?" He questioned.  
"Why would you need to know that?" Jaune asked.  
Oscar blinked at him. "Um… Because I grew up on a farm?" He questioned.  
They all looked to each other.  
Ruby giggled. "Maybe, if you ask." She told him.  
Oscar grinned. "Great! I'll be back in a sec!" He said, then bounded off towards the kitchens.

./.

"So, you went off to find him, huh?" Weiss finally asked.  
Ruby nodded. "Yep! Took _ages_!" She said.  
"I'm actually amazed you found him in the first place." Blake told her.  
She grinned. "It took me awhile, I only had so much to go off. At least it was only Anima and not the entirety of Remnant. _That_ might have taken longer." Ruby noted.  
The rest nodded.  
They then noticed Oscar coming back, with an uneasy frown.  
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked immediately.  
Oscar responded by throwing her an apple. "Here," He said as she caught it easily. "It's from the last season, but it should still be good…" He told her.  
Ruby just smiled at him gratefully.

"So…what's the frown for?" Yang asked.  
"Most of the dishes are made with imported ingredients, of which they don't know the origins of. But they use them anyway because it's all they have." Oscar told them, letting Ruby have time to eat.  
Aside from Ruby, they all looked to each other in confusion as to what his problem was.

Oscar, realising that what he was worried about, wasn't exactly something anyone else seemed to fret over and became increasingly embarrassed.  
"I, um, growing up on a farm, I knew where everything came from…" He tried.  
"Dunno 'bout you, but I got used to it." Ruby said between bites.  
Because of this Oscar beamed at her.  
The rest just shrugged.

./.

Most of them by now had come into the hall in search of food, the last to come in being Qrow.  
Oscar poked his meal with his fork, not liking he had no clue what was _in_ it.  
Ruby, aside him seemed fine with _inhaling_ it, much to his unease. Though, he had seen the several concerned looks she kept throwing his way, so he resolved to talk to her about it later.  
He looked around and saw everyone else seemed fine, so it was just him who had the issue.  
At least he was trying anyway.

"Speaking of which…" He muttered, not exactly having a thought to speech ability with his mind trying to sort out a maze of combined memories.  
It caused everyone to look at him.  
"On my way to Mistral, I met Hazel." Oscar said offhandedly.  
He had the unfortunate moment to say that when Qrow was holding a glass.  
Which he promptly dropped and smashed everywhere.  
It caused most of the children to scream and duck out the way of flying glass.  
Oscar blinked at him, all too unfazed with Qrow's bad luck, but noticed that Ozpin was also staring at him incredulously.  
"Did he know who you are?!" Qrow burst out as suddenly as he dropped his glass.  
Oscar scrunched up his nose. "Why the hell would he be interested in _me_?!" He asked, just as incredulous.  
"Wait, who's Hazel?" Ruby asked, having gotten too many concerned looks aimed at her from her teammates.

Oscar suddenly dropped his fork, as if a terrible thought had just crossed his mind, the fork clattered onto the wooden table-top, then onto the bench only to fall underneath the table, as he looked back to Ruby who stalled seeing the fear in his eyes.  
"You've been doing your Huntress missions anonymously, all over Mistral, right? For the past year?" He steamrolled into asking.  
Ruby blinked, but nodded, noticing everyone else was curious as well.  
"It might be because you've been moving around so much that you never got caught before, but if Hazel is about, then so is Tyrian." Oscar said.

They all stared.  
They had heard that name before. Normally in conjunction with Salem being mentioned.  
And it caused shivers to sprawl down all of their spines.

Ruby blinked at him, still not liking the raw fear in his eyes.  
"…Should I keep moving?" She asked uneasily. Oscar glared at her. "Yeah, didn't think you'd approve of that, somehow." She said softly.  
"Wait, hold up how do _you_ know about Tyrian, and Hazel?" Jaune asked.  
They all heard the boy muttering something about magical curses and stupid canes.

"So, Tyrian will be coming for me?" Ruby asked, looking from the adults around to her Oscar.  
They all looked uncomfortable, yet Oscar just looked as if he was borderlining being more annoyed than angry.  
"Most likely if you've gotten their attention. Which you probably have. Frozen dragon and injuring Cinder. And again, more recently with the bandits." Oscar said.  
Ruby blinked in confusion, even though those first two things hadn't _technically_ been her, how did Oscar even know…?

Oscar then looked over to Ozpin.  
"…So, are we doing anything about Haven, or are we gonna let it fall like Beacon despite everyone's best efforts?" Oscar questioned, ignoring the astonished looks from RWBY and JNPR easily.  
Ozpin shook his head. "We've kept a close eye on Haven and Leonardo, but due to the fact we're not meant to know, we haven't been able to accuse anyone, without solid proof here and now." He told him.  
Oscar seemed to understand. "I really kinda hope you didn't send Qrow because the last time _I_ sent him anywhere, all the people he tried to contact either wound up being lost or dead beforehand, and a certain motorbike came through a portal." Oscar told him.

Oscar nearly laughed at their faces.  
He might as well have some fun while he was at it.  
While Qrow just looked equal parts affronted and understanding.  
Though, looking to Ruby, she seemed about ready to forget she needed to breathe.  
"Miss Ruby, you need to remember how to breathe." He reminded her patting her back.  
And suddenly what he had started calling her made that much more sense.

It was made clear that Ruby was able to dodge Salem's attempts at finding her, only because of her anonymity across the entirety of Anima during her search for Oscar: by the same extension of never being in the same place for too long.  
But since her most recent mission had her use her credentials, as well as her _eyes_ , it was all too clear of where Ruby was. Oscar doubted that the majority of them surrounding her would deter the slightly insane scorpion from coming at them all.  
He was sure it wasn't just him that were on edge about that fact. From the reactions he got from the rest of RWBY and JNPR, they had been informed of who Salem was, and better – who Hazel and Tyrian were, enough for them to be alarmed, anyway.  
What Oscar wasn't sure of, was how much of that Ruby actually _understood_.

He turned to her. "You understand that Tyrian wants your life, if not just to kidnap you first, yes?" He questioned to understand her headspace.  
Ruby blinked at him but nodded. "I remember that conversation. I can gather who he works for doesn't exactly like us, as well." Ruby told him.  
Oscar mentally breathed a sigh of relief and went to fetch his fork that had decided the floor was a better place to be when he dropped it previously.

"He'll know I'm here, though, right?" Ruby continued to ask, not just Oscar who was under the table by that point, but she looked to her uncle and to Ozpin as well.  
"Right—" There was a loud bang, when Oscar's head collided with the underneath of the bench, and a string of pained words rang out from the boy, as well as a dig at Qrow, who just shrugged at the insinuation he caused it as Oscar reappeared with his fork, and rubbing his head in pain.  
Ruby blinked at him in worry. "Are you alright?" She questioned.  
Oscar nodded as he rubbed his head.  
"Tyrian will most likely know your whereabouts by now, Miss Rose." Ozpin informed her.  
Ruby looked alarmed. "Won't everyone else be in danger too?" She asked.  
Oscar's fork clattered again. "I'm more worried about you!" He insisted, not the only one to stand up at her leaving herself out.

Ruby blinked and shrunk back at his intensity, not used to him being forceful in any way.  
Oscar saw her reaction and sighed as he sat back down next to her. "I apologise." He muttered to her.  
She blinked at him in confusion, not understanding why he was apologising, why he had always apologised, specifically to her, when he got too keyed up. "I know he's after me, solely, so I know I'm in danger. …I just didn't think he would care who go in the way…" She tried to explain.  
"Everyone here understands the risks, and has made their choice to stay, Miss Rose." Ozpin told her.

Oscar was the one to look at him curiously, yet with a little questioning frown. But, he was soon back to focusing on Ruby, he pulled his legs up, to lean on them to gain the extra bit of height he needed to be on level with her, he reached out to grasp her chin to make her look at him.  
"But do you understand this? That you may be a Huntress, you may have spent the last year being one fully, but currently, you cannot bear that burden, not as weak as you are coming straight from the hospital." Oscar told her firmly. He watched as her eyes watered. "I don't mean to disservice you, Miss Ruby," He continued as he wiped away a tear. "But if I can knock you over with a broomstick, there's something wrong." He told her.

Ruby weakly chuckled at him. "Then what…?" She asked.  
"I think you're forgetting that you've got two extremely talented and extremely protective teams around you that don't do very well seeing you come to harm." He reminded her.  
Oscar could see Yang about ready to pounce, more so when the tears started. She wasn't far ahead of the rest of her teammates.  
Ruby chuckled wetly, she had forgotten, it wasn't too hard, and no one blamed her since she spent near on a year by herself.

Had there not been a table in the way, there would have been a group hug that would have involved all of team RWBY and JNPR.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up Next: Qrow attempts _The Talk_. It pretty much goes how you'd expect.


	11. Part 3 - Chapter 11

**Summary:** Qrow attempts " _The Talk_ ", with Ruby, and ultimately Oscar. It pretty much goes how you'd expect. Crying is a thing. Oscar goes forth and hunts down a knife.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** This might be the last chapter until the New Year since I'm going to be busy in and out with family obligations, as well as being involved with working something for _RoseGarden day_ for the 4th week of December, for the moment it will only be a prequel oneshot for this story, telling the origins of Oscar and Ruby's time together before time-travel happens. So, look forward to that if you so wish.  
I'm not even gonna put a word limit or say how long, because this shit already be long as long as the length of the moon and back, and far exceeding my expectations for how many words I can cram into one story (the prequel, at the update of this chapter, has 10 pages and 3300 words, with one day of writing).  
(You really don't want to know how long the original story is.)

A very big hug to _BloomingLight_ for all the discussions you've put up with for this story and its prequel to continue, as well as your contributions (you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about).

/

* * *

/

 _Let's walk together as we gaze ahead. Just let me hear your voice again. Let's walk together, even on your lonely days: when you find yourself unable to speak out, just wrap your hands around my shoulders. Let's always continue to seek out our hearts that are racing_ _with_ _excitement, even when we're making a little detour, right? Our journey continues on, even_ _onto_ _the future. Of course, I find your smile to be my favourite of them all. Let's traverse the world and laugh it out, perhaps forgetting such formal greetings at night. Whatever happens ahead: It's not motivating to be alone. It's good to achieve our dreams together. It's good to watch the rainbow together.  
— Asuca Hayashi_

 _Other music for this chapter here  
Porter Robinson & Madeon —_ _Shelter  
My Indigo (Sharon den Adel) — My Indigo_

Part 3 _—_ Chapter 11

As they were leaving the hall, Oscar let her go when Yang finally pulled her up into a hug, that soon enveloped the entirety of RWBY and JNPR.  
Feeling a presence next to him he looked up to see Ozpin standing next to him.  
"I hope you realise that when Tyrian does show up, you cannot be seen to be helping?" Ozpin questioned.  
Oscar sighed in annoyance. "I understand." He said. That didn't mean he could like the idea of not being able to protect her.  
Ozpin looked down at Oscar curiously. "You do not think they can protect her?" He asked.  
Oscar blinked. "That wasn't my meaning. I'm just annoyed that I can't help." He said.  
Ozpin gave out a vocalised of his understanding. "You will have to trust that Qrow and myself will not let her come to harm." Ozpin said.

Oscar quickly looked at him in astonishment. "You'll…?!" Oscar started in amazement.  
He looked back down at him, understanding lining his face. "I'll do what I can." He promised.  
It was more then what Oscar had thought the man would do in the first place.  
"We just need to tell Miss Ruby this…" Oscar started.  
Ozpin gave out a chuckle. "That task I will leave to you." He said.  
Oscar was left to grumble at himself. He wasn't about to jump for joy about telling her this. He wasn't quite sure what her reaction would be. She hadn't exactly dealt well with him not being by her side. Not as if he could say he was doing any better on that front.

It wasn't long until Ruby started to gravitate back towards Oscar.  
"Hey, sis, do you know where you're bunking for the night?" Yang asked.  
Ruby looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? You guys don't have room?" She asked.  
The two teams looked at each other and shook their heads.  
"There are more refugees then when you left, we've had to bunk together as it is." Jaune answered.  
Ruby cocked her head. "Wait. Where's Oscar been staying?" She questioned.  
This caused them to look back at each other. "Ruby, he never left your side." Weiss told her gently.

Ruby looked around quickly to find the boy, finding him and noted that Ozpin was still next to him.  
"Hang tight." She mumbled and walked quickly over to him.

"Oscar!" She called.  
Oscar immediately looked in her direction and lit up. "Miss Ruby!" He answered happily.  
"Are you okay?" She quickly asked.  
Oscar frowned at her. "I think I should be asking that question, Miss Ruby, since you are the one that just left hospital residency." He said, not quite understanding her meaning.  
Ruby gave him a soft glare, which he blinked at. "Weiss just told me you never left, either. Sleeping in a chair couldn't have been very comfortable…" She said a little guiltily that he had done it on her behalf.  
"There really wasn't anywhere else I wanted to be, Miss Ruby. What brought this up?" He questioned.  
Ruby stared at him, with her mouth slightly open at what he just freely admitted. The questioning glance he gave her when she didn't respond spoke volumes of how he probably hadn't even been aware it wasn't exactly common knowledge, at least for her. "…There are more refugees, and there's not enough space…" She tried to control her speech, while getting her head around what he said.

Oscar blinked and looked at Ozpin.  
"What do we do?" He asked he could see the sun setting as much as the next person.  
Ozpin pulled out a familiar looking registry map to look over. "There's space, as long as you don't mind sharing it." Ozpin told them.  
"How small is small?" Oscar asked first.  
"A smaller tent, since the last few lots we've had have been larger family groups. Two beds." Ozpin elaborated.  
"Sure, that's fine!" Ruby said.  
Ozpin nodded and showed her the map to look over, so she could find her way. "You best make sure your teams know where you will be." Ozpin reminded, looking over to them, seeing that they were talking to Qrow.  
Ruby nodded. "Sure." She said and bounded off.  
Ozpin looked at Oscar. "Will you be alright?" He asked.  
Oscar hadn't taken his eyes from watching Ruby warily. "It's her I worry about." He muttered.  
He took a glimpse at the map to know where the tent was and was off to make his way back to Ruby's side.

./.

"Hey, guys," Ruby announced, coming back.  
They looked her over, slowly noting that Oscar not being with her was a weird sight, again.  
"You have a space?" Weiss asked, curiously.  
Ruby nodded. "Since Oscar and I aren't a huge group, there's a little space that we can take that won't mess up the family groups." Ruby told them.  
She noted the look Qrow immediately had on his face. "Wait, you're staying with Oscar?" He asked.  
Ruby frowned. "…Yes? He needs to sleep somewhere too. Last time I tried sleeping in the barn, he banned me, and made me use his bed instead." Ruby told.  
In high probability, he would win in a fight over who would get a bed and who would get the floor, had there only been one bed available. If not insisting they share first.  
Qrow's look turned incredulous, while her teammates looked about ready to split grins. "You're gonna be alone with him…" He started.  
Ruby was still frowning. "…I've been at his farm for a few months now? I've…been alone with him all that time?" She questioned.  
Now his face looked alarmed. "What happened!?" He immediately asked.  
Ruby's eyebrow rose. "…Was something meant to happen?" She asked.

Now Qrow looked uncomfortable, while Yang wasn't the only one who could no longer hide her grin behind her hand.  
"You know — Teenagers…" Qrow was determined to ask.  
Suddenly Ruby's ears went red. "Uncle Qrow!" She screamed.  
The other shoe finally dropped.  
"It's a perfectly normal thing to ask!" Qrow demanded.  
She screamed. "WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT?! NO!" She said, getting Oscar's attention, as he suddenly appeared next to her, looking at her in concern.  
"As I'm saying, you're female, he's male—" Qrow tried, before Oscar could even voice his concern.  
Ruby just clapped her hands over her ears. "I'M NOT LISTENING! STOP TALKING!" She screamed, staring at her uncle with wide eyes.  
It wasn't as if she _didn't_ know Oscar was male.  
She had seen him without his shirt once or twice. Thank you very much!

Oscar, by now was staring at Qrow in stunned disbelief — he caught on what he was trying to imply, just by the way Ruby was reacting. He couldn't even summon up words.  
While Ruby was still holding her hands over her ears, loudly protesting in song when Qrow tried to talk to her.  
"This is serious!" Qrow hissed, glaring at those who were snickering, and back to Ruby.  
"How could you think _that_?!" Oscar finally burst out, finding his voice, offended on Ruby's behalf.  
Qrow blinked at him, Ruby and the rest stared at him.  
"The rudest. I would never." Oscar muttered. He even looked offended.

It wasn't as if Oscar _hadn't_ noticed her.  
He did. Even the first time 'round with Ozpin scolding him for it, before he too backed off when he felt that Oscar was offended he would think he would do something without her input, her choice in the matter.  
There was a time and a place.  
And by the way she hated the idea of being in his room back on the farm — he doubted he get that particular train to ever leave the station. Or even the fuel for it.  
So, no, he wasn't about to do anything like what Qrow was implying.  
At least, not without her permission first.

Oscar gave him a wounded offended look, before stalking off in the other direction.  
Of which Ruby definitely noticed. "Oscar!" She called, alarmed he had stormed off.  
And the boy didn't stop or look back.  
They all reared back in alarm when Ruby looked to Qrow in seething anger. "Uncle Qrow!" She demanded.  
"Do you want something to happen!?" He demanded back.  
They watched as she scrunched up her nose. "I trust him to _ask_! And to respect whatever decision I, at the time, _**make**_!" She near yelled. In all the time she had known Oscar, he had never put one foot out that raised alarms, or unsettled her. (She caused enough of that herself). She knew Oscar, from the start when he knew her, and she didn't know him, that he _protected_ her. Whether or not he actually felt the way Qrow was implying partners did for each other — he never once made her uncomfortable. Never. Even in the times when she knew him, and he didn't know her.

Now, looking at the fact he had stormed off…  
She just hoped her family, and by extension _herself_ , hadn't offended him enough that he now hated her.  
"I spent nearly half a year trying to _find him_ so that once I did, I could _be his_ _ **friend**_." Ruby urged, with a faint note of desperation in her voice. "If he leaves…"  
They all flinched at the tone her voice took and wavered in.  
Her immediate family members knew how hard it was for her to make friends, and those she did make were for life, and how much harder it was on her when they _left_.

"Ruby…" Qrow started, his tone completely changed.  
Ruby had already hidden her face, and pawing at one eye. "It was hard. And I was alone for the most part." They knew how much she hated being alone too. "But I wanted to find him. To make sure he was okay, at least." She sniffed. "That I could prove that I could be his friend now. To repay…" She tried to explain.  
Oscar didn't need her uncle accusing him of something she doubted he ever would do.  
She, for the most part, just wanted to be his friend. To have him close enough to see and hear every day. There was a time and a place for everything else that came with the rest of her feelings.

"Then go," Pyrrha told her, making Ruby look up. "Go find him, and explain." She insisted.  
"If you're sharing a tent, he'll have to go there sooner or later." Blake spoke up.  
"You know where we'll be, sis." Yang told her with an encouraging smile.  
Ruby nodded with a smile, then took off in a stream of flower petals.

/

* * *

/

She couldn't find him.  
She doubted he would leave the Safe Zone.  
Ruby gathered he remembered or was told at least something of the time travel stuff, since he mentioned Cinder, Mistral and the Dragon — which was where her doubt that he would leave came from.  
She didn't know just how much he knew, remembered or was told though.  
But she wanted to find him, seeing the sun trying to set, she figured he would at least need to return at some stage to the tent they would share for the night.  
She hoped.

He was there when she entered, but she had patience enough to wait for him to decide. She doubted her heart would.  
Oscar looked up when she entered, jumping up from the bed he was sitting on. Ruby noted he was fidgeting. It was the last thing to break the tears springing up in her eyes.  
"Miss Ruby?" He questioned, alarmed to see her cry.  
Ruby paws her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying. "Are you—are you going to leave?" She found herself saying in a mass of words. Ruby had her eyes closed in an attempt to stop crying and to see his expression.

But she jumped when she felt his hand come up to take hers away from her eyes, making her eyes burst open to take in his expression.  
Ruby couldn't quite place what emotions were painted across his face, or the ones swirling in his green-hued eyes. She saw confusion, his usual fondness was still there, and also what she could categorise as alarm and exasperation. Probably at her.  
"What makes you think I'll leave?" He questioned softly as be brought his other hand up to wipe away her tears.  
"Because what just happened…" Ruby hiccupped. "What uncle Qrow said. You looked…" She tried as she failed to keep her breathing normal.  
Oscar, for all his worth, really did make it worse when he pulled her into his arms and patted her back. "You need to remember how to breathe, Miss Ruby." He noted.  
It really didn't help as much as it did last time.  
"Do you wish me to leave?" His response was for her.

Ruby reared back, her expression incredulous.  
She saw that Oscar was being absolutely truthful. Should she want him to leave, he most likely would.  
Ruby adamantly shook her head vehemently. "Never." She muttered.

Oscar sighed, in what sounded like part relief and an exhale of nerves and sat back down on the nearest bed.  
She watched him go.  
"I have always been nervous about your family's reaction to me," Oscar sighed.  
Ruby blinked and sat beside him. "What do you mean?" She asked.  
Oscar looked at her. "I value your input, probably a little too much. You could tell me to leave and I would. Qrow could hate me, and I would understand." Oscar told her.  
Ruby just frowned. "But I don't want you to leave." Ruby insisted.  
Oscar smiled to her. He probably would have nightmares over it, his nerves about asking her had been on par with the one time he needed to get his cane back. Both times involved this family he cherished.

Oscar just sighed and collapsed on the bed, his arms splaying outwards, Ruby moved to look at him, causing one leg to lean against the bed covers. He looked at her in regard.  
"Are you alright with what Qrow said?" He questioned her.  
Ruby crawled over the bed to lie next to him on her stomach, still regarding him and minding where his arm was so she didn't crush it. He hadn't moved it when she flopped near it. She could feel the heat from his arm just above her head.  
"Why don't you tell me why you stormed off in the first place?" She parried.  
Oscar just hissed and looked up at the tent covering their heads. "That he would think that I would have done something like that without first asking permission or your consent in the matter. It's not as if he doesn't know I know." Oscar told her.  
Ruby blinked at him half in her mind to celebrate she was right in her assessment that he would _ask_ , and the other half: dejected knowing that _he hadn't_. But the rest of what he said actually confused her.  
"He knows you knows? What?" Ruby questioned.

Oscar looked her over, and she felt herself shiver.  
"I remember the other timestream, Miss Ruby," Oscar told her.  
Huh. Now it kinda made more sense.  
"Oh…" She breathed.  
Oscar gave her a short laugh. "Oh? That's all you have to say?" He questioned.  
Ruby gave a shrug. "It must be hard? Did you remember recently? Did it hurt?" She bombarded.  
Oscar laughed again. "That's what you're worried about. Of course. It happened recently, yes. The cane Ozpin has is actually mine from the other stream, so it recognised me." Oscar told her.

Ruby cursed as she jumped up to her knees.  
Oscar quickly followed. "What's wrong!?" He immediately asked in concern, hoping she hadn't hit her head somehow. She had managed it before.  
"I forgot again!" She yelled.  
Oscar frowned. "You forgot…what?" He asked, not following.  
Ruby cringed. "I forgot 'bout the whole Ozpin-in-your-head-thing, again," Ruby noted in a grumble.  
Oscar stared at her remorseful and guilty face, and just burst out laughing.

Ruby crossed her arms. "Sorry…" She muttered.  
Oscar just patted her shoulder. "I don't mind, Miss Ruby." He told her. "Since he's alive, I don't have him in my head, I just have memories of it happening. I do understand what he meant by me being like-minded, though." Oscar said.  
Ruby cocked her head. "What do you mean?" She asked.  
"Both times, when I first met you, the first non-life-threatening thought of you were your eyes." Oscar told her.  
Ruby blinked at him. "Even when you didn't know…? On your farm…?" She questioned.  
Oscar just nodded. "At the time I was grateful for the fact it didn't burst out of me like the first time, but now I think I should have said it since you were probably expecting me to say it." He said.  
Ruby shook her head. "No, no, I shouldn't have expected anything. It was rude." She muttered.

Oscar just sighed, and looked to her.  
She noted his expression turned serious.  
"How long did you search?" He questioned.  
Ruby flinched, not expecting to have to tell him this soon. "I left straight for Anima once the storm finished, so a day or two give or take. I remembered that they said you lived in Anima, somewhere along the train line, since that's how you got to Mistral…" Ruby started.  
She stalled when he took hold of her chin. "That's all you had!" He admonished. He felt her flinch. "Since I know now how extensive the rail lines are, mine must have been the last line?" She just nodded mutely. "Nearly half a year…" He muttered, quickly doing the math. "You spent half a year looking for me." His hand fell from her, and he hid his head. She saw the tears slam into the bed covers.  
He was crying.  
That was new. And completely _horrifying_.

The alarm she felt at him crying was new, and she intuitively knew him crying at any time she would hate extensively.  
"Wha? Why? Why are you crying?!" She stumbled out, grasping his shoulders.  
"Why!" He asked, looking up to face her, no longer caring if she saw, since she already knew. "Why would you when I wouldn't remember you?!" He asked, not quite yelling, he wouldn't yell if he could help it.  
He would hate it if he frightened her again.

Ruby blinked at him.  
"Because I wanted to be your friend." She answered simply.  
It didn't do wonders for his tears. He just pulled her back into his arms again.  
Ruby had the feeling of safety whenever he did.  
"You are my friend, Ruby." He insisted through a hiss, grasping her a little more tightly. "Don't ever think otherwise, even when I didn't know you, you were my friend." He told her, making her shiver. "You've always been my friend." He said.  
"Same." Ruby cried into his shoulder.  
Oscar just nuzzled into her hair in comfort.

./.

From the amount of emotions hurled about it really didn't take them long to fall into sleep from exhaustion.  
But it took less than a second for Oscar's eyes to fly open when he heard Ruby whimper.  
"…Oscar?" Ruby voiced. "…Are you awake?" She questioned near whisper.  
Oscar lifted his head to regard her across the tent. "Are you alright?" He questioned, trying to blink the sleep away from his eyes as he asked.  
He saw she shook her head. "Could you…?" She tried.  
He waited for what she wanted, but when words failed her she reached out for him.  
It was then he knew what she was trying to ask for.

Oscar nodded, and padded barefoot the few steps between the beds, and got under her covers. She spared no second in flinging her arms around his waist.  
Oscar watched as soon as he wrapped his arm around her, she fell back asleep, in probably the most peaceful, conscious sleep she had in a long time.

/

* * *

/

Oscar always woke before Ruby, it took him some time to weasel out of her grasp, but once he did he took his pillow to replace himself, which seemed to placate her for now.  
He wouldn't go far, but he had things he needed to do.  
The first thing on his list was the make the broomstick he had into something he could actually use as a weapon, as seeing his main weapon wasn't going to be his for a long time — and he rather not have to get used to something that wasn't like-minded. Sure, he could use any other weapon, but not using his cane felt extremely weird.  
So, broomstick it is.

Annoyingly so, a broomstick had no folding mechanism, or way of securing it to himself. Seeing as with Ozpin's memories, and his own, he annoyingly inherited Ozpin's ability to randomly leave the cane about. He had forgotten where he had put it at one stage. That day had earned him multiple rants from Ozpin and Qrow.  
He really should throw it at him one day.

But, since Oscar had access to Ozpin's memories, he knew how to turn anything into a relative weapon — one that didn't rely on multiple transforming, release mechanisms or the need to fold.  
Sure, it was archaic in some forms, traditional in others.  
Oscar would need some twine, rope if he could get any, and a knife.  
Things of which he knew wouldn't be in the tent.

He regarded Ruby again and watched her for a little second. His head notched a little as he did. He really did need to make his broom into a staff. While the Tyrian fight was off-limits to him, every _other_ fight was not.  
He wasn't about to make Ruby protect him because he was weaponless. Not when he could fight.  
It wasn't as if the Grimm, or Salem wouldn't know where Ozpin was, or where Ruby would be. She would also know the relic would still be at Beacon.  
Oscar walked back over to Ruby and he pulled out his scarf from his pocket to lie on the work table between the two beds, and next to Crescent Rose: well insight should she wake up.  
She would hopefully know him leaving it there she would know he would be returning.  
He went over to his boots to slam his feet into them, grasping his broomstick: he was off running towards the hall they were still using as a cafeteria.  
The cooks should have what he needed.

Oscar walked out of the cook's station with a borrowed knife wedged between his teeth, his pole under one arm, his both hands fully occupied with the rope they had given him. He may or may not give the knife back.  
"Seeing you with a knife is actually quite terrifying. Sheathed or not." Qrow's voice startled him into looking up.  
Doing such he saw Qrow, alongside with Ozpin and Glynda. He did wonder briefly where James—Ironwood(?) was.  
Seeing them, he grinned, as much as he could with the knife in his mouth. Winding the rope around one arm, he stuffed the knife away into his pocket, so he could speak.  
"Hey!" He greeted.  
"Should I be concerned about the knife?" Ozpin asked curiously.  
Oscar laughed but shook his head. "No, you're good. Since you're still kinda here, I do need to fight somehow. Salem does know where you are, by the way. Grimm are gonna be a constant thing." Oscar said.  
He took huge amounts of satisfaction from Glynda's confusion.

Though, he did notice Ozpin's calculating look.  
He might not be in his head anymore, but he _knew_ that spectral look _anywhere_.  
"Uh-oh. Which direction do I need to run in?" Oscar immediately asked. Qrow looked at him in confusion. "Ozpin has that look again. Even as a thought impression, it was never good." Oscar explained, quickly ignoring Glynda for now.  
Ozpin now looked amused. "When would you think Tyrian will be able to track Miss Rose here?" He questioned.  
Oscar now looked thoughtful, and the same calculative expression swept over his face, that they all looked at each other blankly. They quickly looked back when he looked back to them.

"It is rather astounding he hasn't found her already, historically speaking." Oscar started. "If they know her name, which they do, they can easily hack back into the system like they did for the Vytal Festival, and find her by her last mission." Oscar said fiddling with the rope around his arm, mentally measuring it. Gathering his thoughts, he realised in annoyance, he would also need a whetstone as well to act as a hand-plane to get rid of the wood's rougher edges, he had enough wood splinters in his lifetimes to know they _sucked_.

"It really does depend on where Tyrian was when Salem had the information that she had accepted a mission in Vale. And since I don't know how long it took him to track Miss Rose the first time, but I can tell you it will most likely be soon." Oscar said. They looked at him in amazement, that slightly irked him enough to cross his arms. "Yes, I have thought about this, thank you very much." He said with a grumble.

They looked at each other again.  
Oscar just sighed. "I can guess Miss Ruby hasn't been practising, I doubt she's been asking Miss Yang. I'll take her scythe away from her, if you hear her yelling later today, in a non-threatening way, then it's because of that." Oscar told them.  
"You still think we should send her to Mistral?" Qrow was the first to jump in and ask.  
Oscar raised his eyebrow. "I do think she will go doubtless of our concerns in the matter, Qrow. It's a matter of she will do what she thinks is the right thing to do." Oscar stated.  
Qrow just groaned when he realised Oscar was right. "Just make sure to get it into her head that she needs other people to go _with_ her, and she needs to tell those people when she wants to leave." He grouched.  
Oscar grinned. "As if I wasn't going to mention that!" He chortled. "On that topic, Qrow," He started, making the man look to him with a blink hearing the change of tone. "Whatever you said last night, really did rattle her, she asked me if I was going to leave because of it." Oscar said, with an edge of impatience. Qrow flinched. It only made Oscar sigh. "I had this conversation with Oz back in Mistral. I get it, I do." Oscar ignored Ozpin's curious expression, as well as Glynda's confused one, to focus on Qrow. "And I know to ask permission first. I'm not rude." Oscar said.  
Qrow shut his mouth with an expression Oscar couldn't categorise, but it looked between guilty and contrite made him rethink whacking the man, for now.

Oscar sighed again. "Now that's out the way…" He looked to Ozpin. "I'm curious how you're still Headmaster, since they said they'd boot you for your conduct with the Vytal Festival," Oscar asked.  
This, was, apparently news to both Qrow and Glynda, who turned to him with stunned expressions.  
But Oscar noted the deadly amused look Ozpin had. "Yeah. No. I'll regret asking that. I'm leaving. BYE!" Oscar said, then got out of dodge. He totally wasn't running away.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up next: The dreaded Tyrian fight finally gets typed out. It takes about a quarter of the chapter. Everything else is just straight up RoseGarden for everyone to drown in. You've been warned.


	12. Part 3 - Chapter 12

**Summary:** Oscar steals things and hates splinters. Someone applaud his resolve. Ruby realises she sucks at fighting without her use of her scythe. Oscar doesn't quite realise he sometimes acts on impulses that others can _see_. Ruby forgets time travel is still a thing. Again. Ozpin is a troll. Feat the Tyrian fight. Ruby loses Oscar (she really should see to that. That's twice now). Oscar still needs to apologise.

/

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/

 **A/N:** Happy end of year whatever you celebrate, and happy new probably year. I did warn you this is mostly rosegarden, with a fight thrown in, right?

In recent events of Vol 5 episode 12, several things will stay the same that have been revised in the show. As things that have changed no longer work within this universe. If I go and write outside this universe, revised events will likely occur in them. Who knows what's gonna happen now in those parts in this universe. Cinder being stabbed, preferably. Since it's still gonna happen, in a way. And Cinder needs to go, her and her creepy ass.

Somehow, I'll still blame Blooming for it, in whichever case. XD (love you though!)

/

* * *

/

 _Here we are riding the sky. Painting the night with the_ _sun_ _. You and I, mirrors of light: Twin flames of fire, lit in another time and place. I knew your name, I knew your face: Your love and grace. Past and present now embrace — Worlds collide in inner space, unstoppable, the song we play. Burn the page for me. I cannot erase the time of sleep. Turn that page for me. I cannot find solace in your words. Age to age: I feel the call, memory of future dreams. I know your name, I know your face: Your touch and grace. All of_ _time_ _cannot erase what our hearts remember stays: Forever on a song we play.  
— Two Steps from Hell & Felicia Farerre_

 _Other music here  
Courtney Knott — Rising Up  
C21 FX — Blood Red Roses (Orchestral Ver), (Vocal Ver)_

Part 3 _—_ Chapter 12

When Oscar returned, Ruby was still asleep, clutching his pillow. The sight of her made him sigh in relief that she hadn't woken while he was gone, as well as that she seemed to be comfortable.

Oscar, after shoving his shoes off at the door, once retrieving his scarf, threw his borrowed and maybe-will-keep items onto the spare bed he had used last night that ranged from his pole, knife, rope and possibly-stolen whetstone he planned to use to rouge the wood back, so he wouldn't get splinters.  
He still needed to make a hole into the half-base of one side of the wood, so he could thread his rope through it up from the other side to act as a bow-string that would eventually wind its way into a handle knot on the other side of the staff.  
Roughing would take more time.  
It would also take _less_ time if he didn't forget where he placed the damn thing in the future, (thanks, Oz!)

He sat down and lifted the pole to gauge where he would need to use his knife to make an incision to thread the rope through, he also would need to make sure whatever hole he made wasn't too big that it would end up compromising the wood.  
He didn't need the stupid thing breaking on him.  
Oscar looked up over to Ruby when he heard her mumble in her sleep, only seeing her moving about in her sleep he left her alone and went back to work.

/

* * *

/

By the time Ruby started stirring, Oscar had stripped down half of one side carefully, so he wouldn't get splinters: he had to strip the entire piece back before he could start to make the bow-string.  
Seeing as he was inside, with no access to outside light to gauge what time it was, he had no clue, no one had sent for either of them, so he doubted it could have been too late.  
"Miss Ruby?" He questioned as he put his woodwork aside.  
He watched in some amusement that she grumbled at him, then realising how far away his voice actually was, sat up extremely quickly. He found no amusement in her wide-eyed look and swivel head before she found him, though.  
"Oscar!" She exclaimed, happy to see him.  
Seeing her up made him smile in any case.

Oscar had his back to her, taking his time putting his shoes back on so she would have time to change, should she need to. He briefly thought about seeing if he could find her any new tights to replace the ones she had, seeing their ripped state.  
"Hey, Oscar?" Ruby questioned, and hearing Crescent Rose being shuffled around, he knew he could look to her.  
"Yes?" He asked, standing up and facing her in curiosity.  
"What are we doing today?" She questioned as she fixed her cloak.

He grinned at her. "I thought I'd take away your scythe today, Miss Ruby." Oscar said, holding back a laugh.  
Ruby stalled in putting her shoes on, she knew exactly what he meant, and she groaned loudly.  
"Oscar!" She whined.  
Oscar just laughed as he picked up his pole, he would need something should Grim attack to defend himself. "You know exactly what I mean, and don't make me echo Ozpin again at how much you suck at hand—" Oscar started.  
"Ah! No!" Ruby raced over and clamped a hand over his mouth. "I'm good! We're good! I get it!" She screeched.  
Oscar chuckled. She would be able to get back at him at how terrible he was at his own weapon once she realised it.

Since he wasn't able to get as far with his tools as he would like, he made a makeshift bow-string, so he could keep his would-be weapon near that kept his hands free to work. He would need to work on, again, his senses to hear and feel where Grimm were. For now, he would need to rely on the Huntsmen around him. Since generated his aura into a reflex needed to come first.  
"Miss Ruby?" He started, getting her attention, she looked to him as they entered the grass field. Oscar didn't go far into the field, nor anywhere close to the forests' edge on the other side. "Keep Crescent Rose on you, in case you need it for emergencies, but you're still not allowed to touch it while sparring." He said, giving her rules to work with.  
Ruby just groaned. "You know that I have barely any practice, right? I'm probably not even holding my fists right." She grumbled.  
Oscar smiled. He had this conversation before. Not that she could remember it. He came around her, ignoring how close he needed to get to her, he could keep that part to himself and reached out to grasp her hands and pulled them up. "Then show me." He told her.  
And she did.

Oscar remembered that she forgot most of the time where her thumbs needed to go. And since he wasn't Ozpin, currently, he wasn't about to beat it into her. He feared she would break her fingers that way. How had she never managed to previously…?  
"Ruby, no, here," He started, grasping her fist again. "Your thumb is wrong." He reminded.  
Ruby, just grit her teeth. She found this harder than anything else she put her mind to.

Oscar watched as she brought up her arm, then looked at him to see if she got it right.  
"Your thumb." He reminded.  
Ruby grinned and waggled it at him.  
Oscar grinned back, she got it right.  
He then brought up his arm to meet hers.  
"Now what?" He questioned her, just curious to see what she would do or do differently.  
Ruby brought up her other arm, eyeing his anxiously for his response he just grinned and moved his other to meet hers.  
"You got it!" He cheered.  
They at least got one hand-to-hand movement down.  
Now all they needed was to practice it before going onto the next.

Oscar gave her a signal, then he rushed at her.  
Ruby was getting better at not yelping in fright, and raising her fists.  
There were certain times she would flinch, and Oscar would back down and take a step back and wait for her to be ready. He would sometimes do the same, and she would be the one that ended up waiting.  
She almost looked startled that it was almost concerning, it immediately made Oscar freeze.  
"Are you alright?" He questioned, not really knowing what would be going on in her head.  
What he remembered was that whenever she got like this Ozpin stepped in and she usually ended up sprawled out in the dirt.  
Oscar wasn't about to do that anytime soon. So, questions were needed.  
He noticed Ruby either looked annoyed or embarrassed at her own setback. "Yeah, I, um, just realised how useful this would have been to know before…" Ruby muttered.  
Oscar notched his head and searched through his memories to try and figure out what she was referring to. "Are you referring to your mission to Mountain Glenn, or the Fall of Beacon in general?" He asked.

Ruby eyed him for a startled minute, which told Oscar she had forgotten again. How she did, he never knew. Though, this time 'round he couldn't blame her since Ozpin was still around physically.  
She just sighed. "Both really." She said.  
"At least you're willing to learn, Miss Ruby." He told her.  
Ruby grinned and righted her fists, seeing so he threw another punch for her to block.  
Her footwork really did suck, she relied too heavily on her usual footwork that supported Crescent Rose.

/

* * *

/

By noon, they had started to gather an interested party.  
Yang, who was the first, when seeing them, had sat on the grass to spectate.  
Oscar really did go easy on Ruby. She doubted Ruby could tell, but there was power behind most of Oscar's moves that never translated out into his blows fully: there were many times where Oscar could have tripped her, or punched her straight in the face. But he never did. He always readjusted himself to her standing and moved accordingly. Her fist moved a little too close to him, and he easily moved. Her footwork would have made her an easier target for an oppressor, but he just simply moved around her, guiding her gently and softly.  
She got what her elder had said about Oscar — the boy really did have a soft spot for Ruby.  
And it showed in everything he did, and was.

By the time the rest of team RWBY came up with JNPR in toe, Oscar had her initiating the fights.  
Well, if he wasn't stopping her every five seconds.  
"No, no, no," Oscar started, pausing her by grasping her sudden throwing hand. "Your front foot is too far forward, and try to not to get used to slouching since I'm smaller than you — there will always be people taller than you." He advised by nudging her front foot back with his to slip it back a few paces and tugged at her cloak when he went around her that caused Ruby to stifle a giggle. "Try now." He said.  
She lunged too far upwards, and Oscar just ducked, but quickly rounded on himself to grasp her by her cloak before she fell. He yanked her back onto her feet with a strained grunt as Ruby cartwheeled her arms to help.  
"Do I need to tell you what you did wrong there?" Oscar snarked in amusement.  
Ruby just groaned, and sat on the ground grumpily, causing Oscar to laugh, and kneel next to her.

Ruby watched as he regarded her, then she stopped breathing altogether when he reached out and put her fringe back behind her ear gently. Ruby blinked at him and noticed he hadn't really realised he had done the action physically.  
"I think you'd be alright in self-defence, Miss Ruby, but I still think you should rely on getting your butt outta dodge as quick as you can." Oscar told her.  
Ruby had to blink several times to get rid of her haze and the sparkles that appeared in the air around the boy somehow.  
"Wait, what?" She questioned in confusion.  
Oscar just chuckled at her fondly. "You still have a long way to go, Miss Ruby." He told her in amusement.  
Ruby just collapsed on the grass in a huff. "Oscar!" She whined, only serving to make him laugh louder.

"Should we come back later!?" Yang catcalled suggestively and loudly.  
Oscar flinched so hard he nearly yanked his neck out when going to grasp his staff.  
Ruby wasn't that far behind him as they jumped up in fright.  
"Yang! When did you get here?!" Ruby screeched.  
"Long enough." Yang said, with a waggle of her eyebrows.  
"I'm…just gonna jump off a cliff now…" Ruby muttered. "All of it. She saw all of it." She continued.  
Oscar looked at her, not quite knowing if she was more embarrassed about what they just did, or the entire sparring session.  
Probably both.  
Damn he was glad Ozpin couldn't scold him this time.  
The first time had been hard enough.

And speak of the devil, Ozpin was there too.  
Whelp. Oscar might as well find that cliff to jump off of as well.  
From the amused look on his face, yeah, he saw _all of it_.  
Ruby by now had buried her head into her cloak.  
He really did wish it was longer, so he could drown in it too and away from Ozpin's amusement.  
"Are you sure!?" Yang continued to yell in amusement.  
Giving her a quick glance he could see Weiss' hand shielding her mouth at Yang in horror like she couldn't believe Yang was yelling, while Blake was facepalming. Jaune and Pyrrha look like they were suffering from second-hand embarrassment, Nora was as gleeful as Yang, with Ren trying to scold her.  
Yep, he could see where the second-hand embarrassment was coming from.  
Ruby launched herself at her sister for her penance, leaving Oscar to deal with Ozpin.  
At least it wasn't Qrow?

Coming up to Ozpin, Oscar gave him a glare, which only heightened Ozpin's amusement, but he conceded to further embarrassing him.  
"How did Miss Rose go without using her scythe?" Ozpin questioned instead.  
Oscar could see an olive branch when he saw one. "As much as the first time. With distaste, but understanding." Oscar told him, watching as Ruby and Yang play-fought, with Weiss getting out of dodge, and landing on Blake by accident, causing the girl to hiss out in pain.  
"How so?" Ozpin asked curiously.  
"She understands why she needs to learn to use other weapons, it might take her a little longer to learn from me since I really can't push her like you did," Here he saw Ozpin's knowing look. "Please don't." Oscar pleaded seeing the look and knowing the remarks weren't far off from being commented.

They watched as Nora ran at the other girls and piledrived them into the grass, yelling as she went.  
The rest of the girls screamed out in horror.  
Oscar blinked then looked at Ozpin. "Have you been in contact with Menagerie?" He questioned suddenly.  
Ozpin nodded. "We have been, the Belladonna's have been appraised of the situation. We have several of our Huntsmen who are Faunus working with them to attempt to prevent the uprising Miss Belladonna spoke of." Ozpin said, seeing Oscar's astounded look, "We receive as many updates we can with the Tower down, Miss Belladonna is the one most regular to keep in contact with her family." He added.

Oscar sided his head. "She consented to stay?" He asked curiously.  
Ozpin nodded. "Her teammates asked her to, and she found it to work out with her family, who seemed overjoyed she had made friends in the first place." Ozpin said, over how loud the others were being.

"How can you lot be so loud?!" Qrow yelled, coming onto the practice field. "I can hear you lot from the other end of the Zone!" He continued yelled.  
"Don't ask Miss Nora about the dance!" Oscar yelled at him.  
Oscar had been here before. Even if the rest hadn't.  
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled celebratorily and was then suddenly attached to Qrow's arm. "Hi." She offered, hanging off her uncle like a limpet.  
Qrow just regarded her as he messed her hair fondly. "Hey, kiddo," He replied, not really caring she was there, and more used to it than not.  
"Ruby started it!" Yang crowed.  
Suddenly Ruby was back to piledriving Yang back into the grass. "NO! NO! I DIDN'T!" She screeched out in panic.  
"She kinda did." Nora said.  
Yang just snickered as loudly as she could with Ruby on top of her.

Ozpin looked to Qrow, ignoring the mess of children near him.  
"Came looking for you guys." Qrow offered, seeing Ozpin looking at him.  
"Did you need something?" Oscar asked curiously.  
Oscar watched that before Qrow could answer they both stiffened, along with Ren and Pyrrha, and knew something was wrong.  
"Oscar," Ozpin sounded out.  
Oscar heard the warning as clear as day, telling him he needed to _go_. And he didn't need to guess why. He flinched as he realised he hadn't been able to tell Ruby yet.  
"Oscar!" Ozpin yelled, glaring at him seeing he hadn't moved. There was an urgency to him, that made Oscar nod.  
"Apologise to Ruby for me." Oscar muttered, then took off towards the nearest building.  
This wouldn't end well.

Ruby noticed Ren's stall and Pyrrha's grasp of her weapon before she felt the intent coming from the forest which made everyone else grab their weapons. Something or _someone_ was coming.  
Then, a body came crashing out of the woods. Laughing maniacally as they landed in full view of everyone. _Then_ he went for Ruby, who just happened to be the nearest.  
Only to be stopped by Ozpin who lifted his cane to block his attack, while Qrow yanked Ruby out the way.  
Ozpin blocking him didn't exactly stop the intruder. Seeing who he was up against made him attack Ozpin further.

Ozpin blocked him at every attack. Noting his students had stalled to stare at the fight in awe.  
Neither men were quick enough to stop Tyrian from going after them.  
"Look out!" He warned, and caused them to react to Tyrian's lunge.  
They noted that Tyrian's laughter was quite manic in a way that supported his barrage of attacks on anyone in his vicinity callously.

It was only when Tyrian saw Ruby fully, did he back off a little, by way of jumping back out of the way.  
Ruby didn't exactly know many people who just randomly started attacking people.  
"Who are you!? What is this about?!" She yelled, having a feeling, but wanting to be sure. She didn't exactly want to hurt a stranger whose name wasn't exactly Tyrian.  
His laughter grew. "Who I am really doesn't matter to most of you." Though he did give Jaune a look over, one that made the boy flinch and Pyrrha to inch in front of him protectively. "See. I only matter, to you," He pointed to Ruby. "So, I can whisk you away with me, _my little rose_ _petal_." He stated, grinning manically.  
Both Qrow and Ozpin covered her, with the children coming up behind them to protect her as well.

Tyrian didn't even look startled.  
All for it, he bowed regally. "Real Huntsmen!" He crowed, sounding excited. "Qrow Branwen," He giggled. "And the Man of the _Hour_." He looked to Ozpin with a glare.  
"Tyrian," Ozpin remarked, grasping his cane outwards. This made them all realise who exactly they were dealing with.  
Tyrian giggled again, he looked like he was about to clap his hands. "I'm honoured you remember me! But you see, I have orders from Our Grace to retrieve this young girl," Tyrian started, bowing again. "But none of them mentioned keeping _you_ alive." He remarked, then launched at them.

Hearing Ruby concerned yelp behind him Ozpin made sure she was further enough back from Tyrian, knowing she would want to help.  
"Where's…?!" He heard her start before he pushed her out the way of Tyrian's attack.  
"Ruby! Stay back!" Qrow yelled, grabbing her hood and yanked. "Keep her away!" He ordered Yang, who at once grasped onto Ruby's arm, to keep her in place.  
"But…!" Ruby started to protest.  
Yang shook her head. "Let them deal with him. Make sure he doesn't catch you off guard." She said, watching Tyrian move about as he attacked.  
"I've lost Oscar," Ruby muttered in alarm.  
"He can take care of himself, Ruby." Pyrrha reminded, keeping her eyes on Tyrian, who seemed solely intent on fighting both Ozpin and Qrow, every now and again Tyrian would break off, and head for them, but it wasn't long before either Ozpin or Qrow caught up him.

It was then that Tyrian crouched, and they started to see movement underneath his coat.  
Qrow stalled to remember the conversation when he first heard Tyrian's name being mentioned.  
Tyrian. Salem. Oniyuri. Stinger? Poison? _Poison_! FAUNUS!  
"Tail! Tail! Watch out for the tail!" Qrow yelled, just as Tyrian launched, tail up at Ozpin.  
No way in hell was he getting stung! Again!

Ozpin shielded himself, which knocked Tyrian away, who had started giggling manically again as he flew.  
Tyrian rounded on himself and started attacking Qrow, who deflected and rushed at him with his own weapon. They danced around each other dangerously, their weapons clashing hard against each other.  
Qrow got one good lunge and kicked Tyrian back.  
"You need to leave my niece alone." Qrow hissed.  
Tyrian giggled. "I'm afraid this I cannot do." He said, clapping his hands gleefully, then transformed his blades to reveal they were was also guns.

Ruby looked around herself in alarm and couldn't see Oscar. During the chaos Tyrian brought with him, he had attacked them all, receiving kicks and punches galore, what if in a moment she hadn't seen he had gone for Oscar?  
What if he was hurt?! Could Oscar even generate his own aura yet?!  
She heard Tyrian's manic chuckle as he fought Qrow, Ozpin had stood a little way back in between the fight and them protectively and out of the way of Qrow's aura working on him. It was then she noticed Ozpin's look back to them in warning them against doing anything.  
But it was then Tyrian wrapped his tail around Qrow's wielding wrist and yanked his weapon out of his hand.

Qrow retaliated by punching the man in the face, hard enough Tyrian yelled out in pain and staggered back. While he was reeling from the physical attack, Qrow retrieved his weapon.  
Tyrian launched at Qrow again who was still fetching his weapon but found himself barred by Ozpin.  
"Leaving soon?" Ozpin questioned, having quite enough of the battle dragging along.  
Tyrian snarled. "Not in your wildest dreams!" He yelled and turned his focus back on Ozpin.

Qrow re-entered the fight with a swirl of his sword, only to get a kick in the gut that sent him flying and sprawled out to his knees leaning against his grounded sword, stalling to pant as his depleted aura crackled around him.  
Tyrian got a good hit to Ozpin, that stopped the man as he recoiled in slight pain.  
Tyrian launched his tail at Qrow, seeing he finally had an opening to do so.

Yang felt her arm get yanked as Ruby just _moved_.  
"Ruby!" Several yelled in alarm.  
She reappeared closer to Ozpin, who seeing her near looked alarmed.  
Ruby moved her scythe about and transformed it and reached out to launch herself at Tyrian, once getting in close enough to pull the trigger and slice his tail off before he even saw her, and before he could get close enough to poison Qrow.  
Tyrian screamed out in howling pain.  
"No more!" She yelled, keeping her scythe out in front of her protectively as Tyrian backed up.  
Tyrian got up in pain. "You _bitch_!" He howled at her.

Ruby looked up to see Ozpin next to her, glaring down at Tyrian as the Faunus whimpered as he scattered back.  
"She'll…She'll forgive you…" Tyrian ended up muttering before running back into the forest where he came from.

Ruby was looking around herself again in panic.  
"Oscar!" She yelled, transforming her blade back so she could put it away. "Oscar! Where are you! Answer me!" She yelled, frantic.  
Before Ozpin could tell her otherwise, he was moved to silence to witness she had enough fear to make her eyes swell with tears.  
"Miss Ruby?" Oscar called out, his voice ranged from alarm to concern. Blake and Weiss jumped in fright having not seen him approach them from behind.  
Ruby then burst into petals and raced towards him, finally seeing him.

Oscar suddenly had Ruby wrapped around him steadfastly.  
He blinked in shock, frozen for a second before he gathered her up.  
"I looked for you!" She cried. "I thought I lost you!" She said as she buried her face into his shoulder.  
Oscar consoled her. "It's alright, Miss Ruby, I'm here." He rubbed her back. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'm here…" He told her.  
She continued to sob into his shoulder, releasing her panic at not being able to see him next to her.  
Ruby wasn't sure what she would do should she lose him. He was too important to her for her to lose.

"How did you know Tyrian was gone?" Ozpin asked curiously.  
Oscar looked up to regard him. "I didn't, I heard her screaming, and I just moved." Oscar told him simply and truthfully.  
Ozpin watched over the two as Qrow was able to get back up working his arm back into functionality.  
Ruby whimpered, and Oscar reacted by holding her closer. "I'm here, Miss Ruby." He reminded softly.  
There wasn't much Oscar cared for, but hearing her scream his name as frantic as she had, set something off inside him that caused him to move without his say so, his body moving before he could accept what had happened. She had needed him, so to her, he went.  
Be damned the consequences.

/

* * *

/

Oscar observed that Ruby was completely exhausted, and didn't exactly blame her since they had spent the entire morning sparring before Tyrian had shown up. Oscar didn't mind letting the redhead sleep in.  
He found he wasn't able to go far though, as when he moved she whimpered out, reaching out as if to find him and he found himself right back where he started.

Not that he minded. And he didn't need to be anywhere anyway  
She might, but he doubted that anyone would berate her being late.  
So, Oscar focused on turning his broom into a staff that he could use. He was allowed to fight against Grimm, and he'd be damned if he had to squirrel himself away again if it caused her that much pain.  
He still hadn't apologised to her yet.  
Oscar looked over at her again and felt himself shivering. He hated her crying. He hated _making_ her cry.

He turned back to continue roughing out the staff, he had about the length of one side smoothed down. He had made a rough mark with his knife where he wanted to gouge out for the other end of the bow-string. It would be a while yet before he would be able to thread it through until then he would need to keep it makeshift.  
He looked to Ruby when she accidentally kicked his back as she turned in her sleep, and ended up curling around him — since yesterday she had tightly clung to him as if he could vanish right in front of her. He cringed at that comparison because a version of himself _had_.  
Oscar tucked some of her fringe back behind her ear softly and regarded her fondly as he watched her settle again, and continued on sleeping. Seeing so, he went back to his woodwork happily.

Oscar felt her shift against him again.  
"Oscar?" She muttered tiredly.  
He looked back at her and saw her rubbing her eye. Oscar blinked and softly reached out to take her hand away. "That'll make it worse, you know." He told her.  
Ruby regarded him tiredly. "Hungry…" She muttered.  
"Shall we go and get something to eat?" He asked.  
Ruby stretched then nodded. "Sure!" She said.

At the cafeteria hall, Oscar watched as the redhead bounded off down the row towards the food available as he looked around for anyone he knew. It seemed earlier than previous mornings Ruby had woken, maybe it was still too late for her teammates. He recalled faintly that most of JNPR woke early if it wasn't a school day.  
Who knew what time zone they were all working on.  
"Hey! Oscar! Hey!" Ruby called, running back up to him. "Guess what!" She said cheerfully as she bounced on her feet.  
Oscar regarded her fondly. "What?" He questioned with a chuckle.  
"Everything on offer is all from Vale! The cooks said so!" She said.  
Oscar blinked at her. He hadn't even needed to tell her what was wrong the previous day for her to figure out what was wrong.  
"Come on! I'll show you!" Ruby said, and thereafter he forgot everything when she went and grasped his hand and ran up the hall with him in toe.  
He'd happily go wherever she went.  
But holding hands with her was just an extra added plus.

"Do you have anything you need to do today?" Oscar asked curiously.  
Ruby blinked with her spoon in her mouth, she gave a second to think. "Not sure. Should probably find Ozpin or Qrow to find out…" She said thoughtfully.  
Oscar nodded and went back to his food, eternally thankful that she wasn't inhaling her food this time.  
"Do you have anything to do?" Ruby questioned back, putting her spoon down.  
Oscar gave out a laugh. "Aside from working on my staff, and sparring with you? Not really." Oscar told her.

Ruby stared at him. "You really don't have anything to do?" She asked, there was a pitch in her voice, that he suddenly didn't like.  
"That wasn't the question you wanted to ask, Ruby." He told her.  
Ruby gave out a grumble. "I'm sorry, I don't even know what I wanted to ask…" Ruby sat still for a second gathering her thoughts.  
Oscar let her and waited patiently for her to sort them out.

Oscar watched as she looked back to him.  
"Are you gonna get bored if you don't have anything to do?" She asked.  
Oscar sat by her and sorted out what exactly she hadn't said, considering yesterday, he knew what was wrong.  
Ruby, noticing she hadn't said exactly what she had wanted, grit her teeth and looked away, only for Oscar to grasp her chin and pull her back.  
"I'm not leaving, Miss Ruby. Unless you're going somewhere." He told her sternly.  
Ruby blinked at him, it would have been the second or third time he hadn't backed down.  
"I'm going somewhere?" Ruby asked.

"That's the only place I'll go to: to wherever you are." Oscar told her.  
Ruby had a second before everything seemed to stop working.  
How did he just say things like that and not know how strongly it affected her?! How did he say those things so easily, when she could barely look at him sometimes?!  
"How are you able to do that?" She questioned quietly.  
Oscar blinked at her, and sided his head, a little in confusion. "It's the truth." He told her.  
Nope. That hadn't helped. Not at all.

While she tried to find her voice, he gathered up their empty plates and bowls.  
"I'll go give these in." He told her and walked off towards the kitchens.  
He spoke the truth, huh?  
Easy for him to say, apparently.  
She could barely get her mouth around her tongue! Let alone speak when he did these types of things.  
Ruby would need to get used to it if he was speaking the truth, and he wasn't lax about spouting it out in front of others. That was a lie, she was used to it. She _liked_ it too.  
What she hated was that she never seemed to reciprocate him. Every time, she sat there staring at him. How he wasn't shot at that, she didn't know.

"Miss Ruby?" He called.  
Ruby jumped a mile and turned to him, she hadn't heard him coming.  
"Ah! Sorry! I'm good!" Ruby rushed to explain.  
Oscar blinked at her, but just regarded her fondly. "Shall we go and find Qrow and Ozpin?" He questioned as he reached out for still unfinished staff to loop his head through the bow-string, so the staff was tucked against his back.  
Ruby nodded and bounded up. "Sure!" She said happily while automatically checking she still had Crescent Rose curled up at its strap. "Let's go!" She cried, as she headed for the hall's exit making Oscar chuckle at her antics, but he followed her in any case.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up next: The crew travels and arrives at Mistral, with a dash of angst and tears for their troubles.


	13. Part 3 - Chapter 13

**Summary:** Ruby gets permission to go to Mistral. Takes the group with her. Oscar has a choice. Still hasn't apologised. Qrow fears the reason. Qrow becomes the _birb dad_ again. Help him. Counting Competition becomes a thing again. As do nightmares. Ruby wants to rage. Oscar returns to being a little shit. Everyone gets offended at Lionheart. Missions become a thing again. Nora creates a bonfire. Accidently. I wasn't joking when I said there'd be angst and tears at the end of this.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Not much to say except to question how much procrastination can I do before I need to write the Mistral fight? (if you're wondering, a _**lot**_ ) since I want to see how the damn fight ends in the volume first. One more episode. Then I have no more excuses rofl. As I said previously, how things were left off in episode 12 are going to not be touched on in this series, because of reasons in the prequel that I can't change without a major overhaul. And that ain't happening in this series. Episode 13 left me with energy that I don't know how to properly channel, so this chapter became a thing to post.

Still a big thanks to _BloomingLight_ for continuing to be awesome with my rantings.

/

* * *

/

 _Awoken today: One hundred years you lay. A calamity has since drowned the land with a legend from the dark. To slay the beast within: As you sing; You take the breath right out of my heart, you take my home and tear it all apart. Now we fight back, 'cause we are free: Taking over our destiny. I'm lost in the dark: wishing I could rewind to the start. I can feel you here part of me. Let's take control of our destiny! She calls to you, but the Guardians have sounded the alarm! You are chosen. The knight saves the day. We have fallen. Avenge our dismay. One by one. Defeat the decay. I'm trapped and fallen down: The shining light has gone. The world is in your hands. I'm lost in the dark: wishing I could rewind to the start: The calm before the storm will disappear!  
— Will with Caleb Hyles & Chlo_

 _Other music here  
Florence + The Machine — Stand by Me  
Birdy with Mumford & Suns — Learn Me Right_

Part 3 – Chapter 13

As soon as Ruby made it outdoors, she gathered herself and Oscar onto her back, and burst into petals to search for Ozpin and Qrow, having no real idea where the two adults would be.  
On her search she couldn't even see where teams RWBY and JNPR were, so she guessed they could be together or separate, in doors. Somewhere.  
She stilled long enough in the air to reform, so she could look over her shoulder to Oscar.  
"Have any idea where they could be?" She asked.  
Oscar took a second, before pointing to a building. "Try that one. Glynda was at that one when I first got here, it seems to be the best area with Wi-Fi." Oscar told her.  
Ruby nodded, and took off towards the aforementioned building.

Ruby ended up bursting open a window, and freaking out several people, all of whom she was previously looking for.  
Ruby kicked the window shut before racing to the ground to reform.  
"Hi!" She greeted, as she let Oscar down.  
They stared at her in retreating alarm.  
Weiss was the first to groan. "I thought there was something wrong the way you came in like that." She said.  
Ruby blinked. "Whoops. I was trying to get better at that." Ruby told her.  
Oscar, aside her snorted in amusement. "You never did get better at it, though." He said, with a smile.  
Ruby glared at him good naturedly. "At least I tried!" She insisted.  
Oscar ended up chuckling fondly at her.

Ozpin regarded, knowing in high likelihood that Oscar went along with whatever Ruby was planning.  
"Did you need something from us, Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked, coming forward.  
Ruby bounded on her feet, as if standing still wasn't something she actively wanted to do. "I wanted to know if you had anything for me to do," Ruby asked, most already knowing that when she referred to herself, Oscar would also be a contributing factor. "Since there's nothing on my scroll." She added.  
"That, Miss Rose, is completely up to you and your teammates, to do what you feel is right." Ozpin commented.  
Ruby regarded him, before looking to Oscar, who sided his head at her encouragingly, but not bearing judgement on whatever decision she decided to act on, before she looked back to Ozpin thoughtfully. "Is another attack on Beacon likely?" She questioned, sitting down on a nearby bench top, her feet on the actual bench, near where her team was sitting, and across from JNPR in its entirety, and across the way from Qrow.

Ruby watched as Glynda, in turn handed Ozpin a tablet, with most likely a report that Ozpin read from.  
"With the more information that I receive, it seems more likelihood Beacon will be left alone for the foreseeable future, since every known oppressor seems to have taken a liking to Haven." Ozpin told her. "We have kept as close of an eye as we can on Leo and Haven as we could without seeing to conspicuous in our plans, this week notwithstanding." Ozpin continued.

"Then we should go to Mistral?" Ruby voiced, not exactly a question, but asking permission.  
She heard Oscar chuckling a little to her right, having come in closer when she left his side to sit.  
Ruby watched as Ozpin regarded her, and her teammates stare at her. "Who are you asking permission for?" He asked her curiously.  
Ruby shifted in her seat. "I know I can't speak for everyone else, but all I know is that I want to do the right thing, and prevent Haven from falling like Beacon." Ruby said, she even looked to Oscar to see his reaction. "…I can't speak for you, and I can't ask you to come…" She muttered, even if she was directing the words at Oscar, she was saying it to those in the room with her.

They watched as Oscar sided his head at her in fond regard, before he lifted her head.  
"Do you wish me to go with you?" Oscar asked curiously.  
Ruby stared at him, trying to will her eyes not to water. "I can't ask that of you." She told him. "I can't ask anyone to do that, knowing what we're going to walk into." Ruby told him.  
She could remember the battle her elder spoke of.  
"That didn't answer my question, Ruby." He told her, again taking her fringe away from her eyes gently.  
The room was silent while they watched.  
"…You said you wouldn't want to be anywhere else…" Ruby tried to piece together.  
Oscar only chuckled at her. "Yes, and while that's always going to be my feelings on the matter, it's not what _you_ think," Oscar told her, and seemed to hold himself back from saying something else. He ignored everyone else, and their reactions for the time being. "What I'm asking is what _you_ want to do." He insisted.

Ruby pulled forward and laid her head against his chest. "I want you to come." She whispered.  
She didn't see the smile her words made grace his face. "Then I will." He told her, patting her head.  
It was then he mentally cringed as he looked up to gauge everyone's actions.  
Ozpin was neutral, yet softly amused.  
Most of JNPR were either staring at them, or staring at them nonplussed (thanks, Nora).  
Most of RWBY seemed to have melted, even Yang, who'd most likely get back at Ruby later.  
Qrow hadn't done anything but stare incomprehensively at them.  
A plus, he guessed. He was still alive.

Ruby made no attempt to move herself, but she looked to her teammates.  
"I can't ask you guys, but if you guys could…" Ruby started.  
Yang was the first to stand up. "You don't need to ask! We'll come!" She said.  
Weiss was shaking her head. "We agreed before that we'd go. We were just waiting on you to tell us when you were ready." She said.  
Blake was the one who chucked her scroll at Ozpin, who caught it in surprise. "The latest my parents could give me was that there's White Fang activity in both Menagerie and Mistral, Mistral being where their base is, thanks to the Huntsmen you sent to help them." Blake told, in summary to the report her parents had managed to send to her scroll.  
Qrow groaned as he stood up. "At least you asked this time, kiddo." He told her in a sigh.  
Ruby just grinned and nuzzled into Oscar a little more, before removing herself from him.

Ruby noted his look, like he allowed her to leave, but hadn't wanted her to go at the same time.  
He needed to stop looking like that, and being cute on top of it, elsewise she'd never get anything done.

Ozpin, once having read the report, gave Blake her scroll back.  
He then looked to Oscar. "Can you recall when the attack on Haven took place?" He asked.  
Oscar blinked, before his face darkened, so much that Ruby took hold of his hand in concern.  
"When I first met Qrow and team RNJR," herein most of them flinched. "At Mistral, it was before school restarted," Oscar retold.  
Which told them they had a little more time on their hands, if they hadn't deviated.  
"Miss Yang appeared just a little before then…" Oscar paused, as if he was trying to count days. Yang looked to him, curious of her own involvement. "Miss Blake and Miss Weiss were at the battle by the time Ruby and I got there…" Oscar blinked then frowned. "I think they attacked before school restarted, it was night, and both Fall and Spring were fighting, so I can't tell you exactly which day both Raven's bandits and the White Fang stormed in and started shooting us all." Oscar told them, with an apologetic smile. "I was kinda busy trying to dodge bullets and fireballs." He said.

They all stored the information away with ease, knowing in most likelihood it would happen, technically again, but also for the first time.  
"You've said previously that you were suspicious of Leo's involvement…" Ozpin started.  
Oscar looked to him, and nodded. "Qrow told me that when he first spoke to Leonardo, he seemed off, and he was deviating from instructions left to him." Oscar voiced, seemingly far away, yet not. He was still aware on some level that Ruby had taken his hand, and hadn't released it. But he was caught up visually in memories. "We didn't know then, as I do now that, for his own reasons, has allowed Salem into his school," Oscar told them.

It made Ruby look to him. "Do you hate him for going to her?" Ruby asked.  
She didn't understand the flinch he made, but the glassy faraway look left him as he turned to regard her with a blink. "No, I don't. Perhaps it was my own fault that caused it." Oscar told her, very much not just in his own mindset, but Ozpin's. "I don't blame him, nor have hate for his decision, people are capable of change — for better or for worse, Miss Rose." Oscar told her.  
It was a testament to his mind state when he called her by her last name. All for it, it made her grip his hand consolingly. She felt him return it.

"How did you find out Raven has Spring?" Qrow asked curiously.  
Oscar blinked and turned to him. "You told me you had a conversation with her on your way to Mistral, you pieced it together by what had happened, and what she had said. You told this to Leonardo, not knowing his allegiance had changed." Oscar told him.  
Qrow gave out an acknowledging vocal noise, and left it at that.  
"How do you plan to get to Haven, Miss Rose?" Ozpin questioned, making both RWBY and JNPR look to her.  
"I figured the boat service, and the train service." Ruby came up with.  
Oscar snickered. "Tired of walking?" He snarked.  
Ruby glared. "I've done that once, never again! Training it makes it faster!" She insisted.  
Oscar just laughed, but it was in fondness.  
"You might as well make your preparations, all of you," Ozpin started, looking over teams RWBY and JNPR. "Take as many precautions as you can, and as much ammunitions as you can carry." He advised. They all nodded and went about getting up and out the hall. "Oscar, a word." He called the boy back.  
Hearing, so, Oscar turned back to Ozpin expectantly. Ruby who also heard, and not hearing her name being mentioned, rushed over to her teammates to settle of bag loads and dust limits.

Oscar sided his head. "Yes?" He asked.  
Ozpin regarded him. "Personally, do you want to do this? I will need to remain here." Ozpin warned. There was that warning tone Oscar remembered. He knew what Ozpin was warning him about. It's not as if he didn't have nightmares as he used to. He was just better at hiding them.  
Oscar regarded him. "You haven't told her, huh?" He questioned, looking from Ozpin to Ruby's retreating shadow.  
He ignored Qrow's confusion.  
"No, I have not." Ozpin told him softly.  
"I'll apologise to her." Oscar responded, and he bounded off.  
"Apologise for what?" Qrow asked.  
Ozpin looked to him, with an expression that suddenly wasn't neutral that it alarmed him into silence.  
Whatever it was...  
Whatever it was, it was something Qrow didn't want to know about. Not if it caused that expression. Or the sudden change in Oscar. Who, ever since Qrow met the child, had always said he had something to apologise for.  
And he wasn't looking forward to it exploding in his face.

/

* * *

/

Both teams JNPR and RWBY were officially on Grimm Hunting. A mission that was upscale Vale.  
Officially.  
In real terms, they were heading to Mistral, Haven specifically, to stop a war breaking out on the academy's doorstep.  
Which was nowhere near upscale Vale, if anyone looked at a map.  
The children got used to Qrow vanishing on them every now and again, citing Bad Luck, whenever he did, they got used to the fact he could actually go between forms of that of his namesake.  
"Please don't ask. I never got an actual proper reason from Ozpin." Oscar had pleaded at the time. He got the face-value reason, just like the rest, but that was about it.

They got used to being on constant alert halfway to Mistral. Most relying on either Ren, Pyrrha or Qrow to suddenly know when Grimm were near more quickly than Ruby was. Oscar was getting there, since he was now on par with Ruby in senses.

"Okay," Jaune started, sitting down on his bedroll, next to Pyrrha and across from Oscar. "How did this go down the first time?" He asked.  
Oscar blinked. "Pardon?" He questioned, looking up from working on his staff, he had the feeling the question was directed at him.  
"You know, stronger, we had a little teaching before they left, but it's just us now." Jaune elaborated.  
"Ah," Oscar said, understanding. "Well, with different weapons and hand-to-hand makes you more flexible in battle, and not dependent on just one weapon. You'll be surprised how many times a weapon can be knocked out of your hands." Oscar advised.  
Jaune nodded. "I can gather with how many times it's already happened. We've trained with each other's weapons since they told us to, but we kinda don't know how we stand with each other, or how to better ourselves." Jaune told him.

"Count." Oscar seemed to say before he knew it.  
When this happened, they understand why by now.  
"Sorry, happened before. If you're having troubles knowing where you all stand, make each time you encounter Grimm, or on a mission, count how many you take down, and try to better yourself the next time on that number." Oscar told him.  
Suddenly why they had traded numbers while fighting made sense.  
For some reason Oscar had looked over to Nora, as if expecting her to say something, but she was one the other side of camp, and up a tree.

./.

Oscar woke suddenly, and sat up while trying to beat down his horror at his nightmare. He quickly made note of his surroundings, nothing was wrong, Ruby was next to him, (having dragged her bedroll to his with a defiant glare to Qrow), she was still asleep.  
Oscar mentally sighed, going over his list as he stared at his hand with a frown.  
He wouldn't be able to sleep now. Oscar stared at his own hand, lines and colours fading with each different one he remembered. A sudden flash of light made him recoil and clench his fist, and a hiss escaped his gritted teeth.  
He wasn't sure if he was grateful or not that Ruby didn't wake this time. She didn't need to deal with his nightmares.

/

* * *

/

It was only a matter of time before sparring became an all-out brawling mess this far out, and nowhere near Mistral.  
Oscar was correct when Nora struck both Ruby and Weiss in rage.  
Qrow had safely vanished once they started up.  
Nora had quickly involved most of RWBY and JNPR.  
Leaving out an exasperated Ren, Blake who had fled up a tree, seeing Nora's incoming run, and Pyrrha, who seemed to get out of dodge by rushing off in Oscar's direction.  
Oscar was the only one who seemed used to it, they bet it had happened previously, and so much now the boy was simply unfazed, and simply moved out the way.

It took Oscar a little while to realise that Pyrrha was watching him, so he turned to her.  
"You seem a little off." She mentioned.  
Oscar blinked at her. "Indeed, Miss Nikos." He commented. "I have a lot on my mind." He told her, looking back out to the play-brawl happening in front of them. He could spot Ruby's megawatt smile from anywhere.  
"Are they things that can be shared?" She questioned.  
He turned to her with a smile. "If only," He told her, and she regarded him, making him sigh, and look away. "Perhaps not now. But eventually." Oscar told her softly.  
He would need to tell her.  
For as long as he had lived, he hadn't been able to. And he would fight until he did. He didn't want to take any more.

./.

Despite whatever was plaguing Oscar's mind, whatever caused the dark clouds in his mind to cloud his expression — it never seemed to interfere whenever he was fighting, or whenever Ruby had his full attention.  
Ruby could breathe in his general direction, and his attention would already be on her.

Considering they were brought up as two separate teams, with two very separate team leaders. Both Jaune and Ruby seemed to be better at tag-teaming their teams alongside their extended team. Jaune seemed to automatically let Ruby take charge, unless she asked for help. No matter what happened in and out of battle, Oscar never strayed far from Ruby's side. It was something even Qrow got used to begrudgingly, despite all his earlier grumblings about the pair. As soon as a fight began, even if they were ambushed, whether they accidently walked into a Grimm territory, or the group of nine/ten were simply too loud — it only took a second for Oscar's back to be pressed up against Ruby's, no matter where the two were in formation. If Ruby flew off somewhere, so did Oscar.

Finding places to stay in local villages were always fun since how big their group was.  
Most of the time they needed to share with each other, and depending on how big or small the rooms were, beds where shared, or the group were separated into duos.  
Ruby always insisted Oscar stay with her, no matter how small or big the room. And her family next. No one begrudged the girl, they all knew how the journey could end. How it technically had already ended for so many of their friends who stood next to them.  
They were reminded of this fact every time Oscar interacted with Pyrrha, and used her last name to refer to her, whereas he called everyone else by their first names.  
Unless you were Ruby: who had many titles in use by the boy, depending on his mind-state and emotions.

Many of them had privately snickered at the inn's owner when she stared at the group wanting shelter, her expression a mixture of incredulousness and horror.  
By now, they really didn't care for the room layout, as long as they all got a bed to lay in, whether by themselves or with a partner, they didn't care.  
This inn seemed to only have doubles. Ruby had shrugged, and Qrow had forked over lien.  
The inn had suddenly found itself sold out for the night.

Ruby found herself suddenly awake when the bed she shared with Oscar shake when the boy abruptly shot up.  
She was halfway to waking when she realised that there was no danger.  
Oscar was breathing harshly.  
Ruby blinked her eyes shut, perhaps he had another nightmare? She knew he had them. But he hated her seeing them.  
She watched through her eyelashes as Oscar sighed, and collapsed against his pillow in such a way that didn't move her once he had control over himself.  
Ruby tried to shallow out her breath when he turned to gaze at her.  
"Not real, huh?" He mumbled, staring at her.  
Ruby tried really hard not to frown in confusion as he turned his head away and stared up at his outstretched hand.  
"…Not real." He repeated, as if by saying so it would help him.  
How desperately she wished that she could.

/

* * *

/

The closer they all got to Mistral, the more they noticed that something was wrong with Oscar. Something, that even when asked by Ruby or Qrow would he tell them.  
 _He was fine_ , their butts.  
They all saw that Ruby watched his every move as if she expected him to combust, and not in her Semblance kind of way.  
If Ruby saw him stare at his hand one more time, she'd hurl him up a tree and hang him there until he told her what was wrong in that head of his.  
It probably wouldn't make him tell her, if by now he hadn't whenever she asked.  
The flinching she could very much do without.  
He sometimes excused his favour by telling her that he spent most of the night working on his staff. Which was a half-truth at best. Oscar did work on his staff, but no longer needed to have the bow-string tied by proxy since he had worked a hole into the staff for the rope. But he never worked on it to the point of exhaustion.  
There were other factors in play.  
Ones that Ruby was determined to get to.

/

* * *

/

Mistral had long ago lost its appeal on Ruby, Oscar and Qrow, but the others stared at the city in awe.  
"Better get you kiddie's acquainted with the school grounds, since you'll be staying near it." Qrow told them, then looked to an extremely disinterested Oscar. "Yo, pipsqueak, lead the way." He told him.  
Oscar glared at him. "Which house? The actual place I stayed in, or the several places your dragged me to when you thought it was the _right_ house?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow stared, while the rest laughed.  
"The right house will do." Qrow told him.  
Oscar shrugged and led the way.

Oscar pushed the door open, holding the door open, he let everyone else in to explore. He had enough personal memories of the compound to know where everything was, and had a multitude of them for just the main area itself.  
Oscar shut the door with his foot once everyone was inside, he could hear Nora shouting in excitement, as well as Ruby's responding squeal.  
He did wonder if they would pick the same rooms.  
"So, kiddo," Qrow started making Oscar look to him. "You weren't apart of the initial conversation with Leo, were you?" Qrow asked.  
Oscar shook his head "I arrived after, you took the students' with you." Oscar told him.  
Qrow nodded as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll round them up in a few." He said.

"Oscar! Oscar!" Ruby's voce shouted, and she reformed from being somewhere else.  
Oscar blinked at her sudden appearance and her expression of pure happiness. "You're with me!" She yelled, before she burst into petals to gather him up, but not before he heard Qrow groan in dismay.  
Oscar found himself realising that her insisting of sharing a room with him the newest memory he had of the compound. And one he enjoyed.  
When Ruby showed him which room, (obviously the one she dumped Crescent Rose in, which he would scold her for later), he kept to himself she chose the exact same room as before, and only made his way back to Qrow when she sped out through the compound to find her friends.  
Qrow was still is dismay.  
Oscar grinned. "You made this happen, by the way!" He chose to say.  
Qrow stared, before he realised that previously he had put Oscar under Ruby's care, and keened forward in an utter dismayed groan that had Oscar laughing at him.

./.

Even if Qrow wasn't expecting it, he would have been on immediate alert seeing Haven academy as empty as it was. And he was glad for the insight he was able to get from Oscar, and made the children go in armed. And leave Oscar behind.  
Qrow had ended up yelling at Leonardo anyway about the lack of Huntsmen guarding the Haven relic, but he did refuse to give up Spring's location once he got confirmation that Leonardo didn't know where she was.  
Leonardo was just confused as to how he was in Haven, and storming into his office, which he kicked the door into, scaring Leonardo to no ends.  
Leonardo seemed to have doubts that both RWBY and JNPR could pose any strength, seeing as they were first years.  
They were offended, because _excuse you_ most of them were well over a hundred points per Grimm fight. Which was a feat when there were nine, sometimes ten, of them, and not as many Grimm.  
The entire conversation made Qrow realise how much it would have made him dive to drink the first time, since the second time made him want to dive into the nearest bar.

./.

They found it easier to get back to the compound then it was getting to the school, even if it was on school grounds. They also found out they were the only ones on campus.  
"Never a good sign." Qrow muttered as he got back into the house.  
"Welcome back to you to, Qrow." Oscar told him, slightly amused.  
"Yeah, yeah." Qrow grumbled on his way into the kitchen.  
"The whole place is deserted!" Nora yelled grumpily, having found none of the nearby shop's open.  
Oscar nodded. "It was like that too, if you want something you'll need to go into the lower levels for anything from ammo or food restocking." He told them.  
"That sounds like a lot of work." Ruby said.  
Oscar just sighed. "Believe me, it is." He said woefully, that made Ruby giggle.

./.

They soon found out what exactly Oscar meant.  
Simple shopping trips, to sentry, to restocking became an absolute chore that everyone immediately hated. They started loving getting Haven for field trips, just so they didn't have to haul their essentials over from the lower levels.  
"Is it a good time to mention that I remember Nora making a clause in the counting competition?" Oscar asked one night out in a field trip for a cluster of Grimm sightings.  
"…Do I want to know what it was?" Pyrrha asked, nervousness in her tone.  
Oscar grinned. "Yeah. Whoever had the most counts could give whoever had the least their chore the next day." Oscar told them.  
Nora, who was stocking the fire, immediately dropped her wood stock _into_ said fire accidently in her excitement. "YES! I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH ME!" She yelled, unhindered by the gigantic fire she unwillingly created.  
They at least weren't going to freeze that night, but Jaune who had one point less than Ren glared, knowing he'd get Ruby's (and Oscar's by extension) chores.  
Oscar found himself laughing at Qrow's ever confused face when, yet again Ruby celebrated her day off.

./.

It was on a collective day off when Qrow called a meeting for them all.  
"I need to go over what you all know." Qrow started ambiguously, Oscar noted the little glance in his direction, so he noted this question wasn't entirely for him as it was for RWBY and JNPR.  
"Well, there's Salem." Ruby started, trying her hardest to ignore Oscar's flinch.  
"Right," Qrow started, leaning back against the couch he was sitting on, noting Oscar's flinch as well. "And what do you know about her?" He asked.

They watched as the student's looked to each other with varying degrees of thoughtful frowning.  
"She's the leader of that Tyrian guy, and Cinder," Ruby started.  
"She's also after Spring and the school relics." Pyrrha put forth, making the rest nod.  
"Doesn't she also control the Grimm?" Jaune asked, not quite remembering how that conversation went done, outside of feeling horror.  
Oscar nodded. "That is true." He remarked.  
Ruby who hadn't been a part of that conversation, stared wide-eyed. "Wait, seriously?" She asked. Oscar regarded her, as if to judge her emotional state, but didn't speak up about it.

Oscar just gave out a sigh. "She's been around since the time of the Gods, as has Ozpin." He told. This made the students' look to him with varying degrees of surprise, and horror.  
"Wait. What?" Yang asked, before the rest of her teammates.  
Oscar brought up one leg to lean his chin against, while he turned his head completely away from Ruby's direction, which she noticed as soon he did it and felt her heart sink in rapid hurt and confusion. He took a minute, as if he wasn't willing to talk, but knew he needed to.  
"His ability to reincarnate, though dwindling, was in direct consequence of the Gods for his failure to stop Salem previously." Oscar told them, hesitance in his tone.

He couldn't bring himself to look back to Ruby. He wasn't sure if he was going to like her expression after she made the connections she kept forgetting: about him and Ozpin. If she feared him, Oscar wasn't sure how he would react to her. It was hard enough to talk about this as it was without his own emotions running away with him.  
The student's looked to each other. "Wait. So, Ozpin has been around as long as she has?" Weiss asked.  
Oscar nodded. "Throughout all of history that you know: Ozpin has been there." He summed up.  
"If they've been around for so long, why haven't they fought like this before?" Ren asked.

Oscar gave out a dry chuckle. "I asked that, once…" He said.  
"And the response?" Qrow asked, just as curious.  
Oscar looked to him. "Magic is dwindling, it has stopped recuperating long ago, Oz told me he was surprised to even reincarnate again into me. While they have had their battles, don't get me wrong, every war you can think of has its basis on protecting one school or the other from Salem's previous attempts, only this time she succeeded in destroying Beacon." Oscar said.  
Oscar paused when he saw Ruby frown. "Okay, so we've been talking about Spring and Haven's relic a lot, but what about Fall?" She asked.

Pyrrha and Oscar flinched, making their partners look to them in concern. "Cinder?" Oscar questioned in a hiss.  
"Does it mean that Salem has Beacon's relic?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar cocked his head at her, Ruby recognised the expression on his face and knew she had asked that particular question before.  
"No, Salem doesn't have Beacon's relic, you'll find Cinder had a lot more trouble at Beacon then she expected." Oscar said, there was a huge sigh of relief from them all.

"Okay, so if they've been around a long time, how do we stop Salem? If Oz hasn't been able to all this time?" Jaune asked, looking from Qrow to Oscar.  
They frowned when Oscar flinched, and looked away again. Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder. "…Oscar?" She questioned, having too much of her emotions being battered about that he kept turning away from her.  
"…There is a way, isn't there?" Pyrrha asked.  
"I mean, there has to be, otherwise why are we even doing this?" Yang put forth.  
"I mean if I knew how to properly use my Silver Eyes ability? That hurt Cinder, right?" Ruby asked.  
More questions were silenced by a stern worried look from Qrow, who had seen that question had only made Oscar worse, since he cringed, and even clenched his eyes shut at what Ruby said.

"That's…That's a way." Oscar started barely in a pained whisper.  
It looked like it hurt to say, his shoulders were ramrod against him up to his neck, and he clutched his hands together around his upturned leg; he had his eyes clenched shut, his head turned away as if he could block out the world.  
Ruby gasped happily. "That's great!" She said.  
Before anyone else could exclaim, Oscar seemed to explode, suddenly he wasn't sitting anymore — he was standing, suddenly he wasn't contempt — he looked utterly broken and _distraught_ , suddenly he wasn't fine — he had tears strolling down his face that didn't seem to stop.  
" _No_! No, it's not _**great**_! None of this is fine! If you use your abilities against Salem, you'll end her, _but_ , but, you'll—!" His voiced cracked with emotion, and his head dropped, causing his tears to slam into the wood flooring at his feet. "…You'll _die_."

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up next: The whole truth and nothing but the truth. No matter how harsh it is, or how hard it hurts to tell.


	14. Part 3 - Chapter 14

**Summary:** The whole truth and nothing but the truth. No matter how harsh it is, or how hard it hurts to tell. Poor Oscar. They need hugs. Oscar reintroduces Ruby to the wonders of hot chocolate. Ruby takes a dive. More revelations are harmful to my health. Oscar panics. What Oscar calls "borrowing", I call "stealing with knowledge" and "don't tell Ozpin". The hell was I thinking when I wrote this?

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** In light of Volume 5 finishing, I now have no more excuses to write the Mistral Battle. Still need to figure out what to do with Cinder. And rework...everything else. I'll just be over here, trying to figure that out. I think I spent half the episode just freaking out about certain characters and the choices that they made. I think I'll just listen to " _All That Matters_ " a few more times.

Have fun with this, Bloom! XD

/

* * *

/

 _Merrily we fall out of line. I'd fall anywhere with you, I'm by your side. Swinging in the rain. Humming melodies. We're not going anywhere until we freeze. I'm not afraid, anymore, I'm not afraid. Carefully we're placed for our destiny. You came, and you took this heart, and set it free: Every word you write, or sing is so warm to me. I'm torn, I'm torn to be right where you are. Forever is a long time: But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side. Tell me every day I get to wake up to that smile: I wouldn't mind it at all. You so know me, pinch me gently — I can hardly breathe. Tell me every day I get to wake up to that smile — I wouldn't mind it at all.  
— He Is We_

 _Other music  
Tara St. Michel — Hold onto You (Cover Version)  
Jacob Lee — Ghost_

Part 3 – Chapter 14

 _"That's…That's a way." Oscar started barely in a pained whisper. It looked like it hurt to say, his shoulders were ramrod against him up to his neck, and he clutched his hands together around his upturned leg; he had his eyes clenched shut, his head turned away as if he could block out the world._  
 _Ruby gasped happily. "That's great!" She said.  
Before anyone else could exclaim, Oscar seemed to explode, suddenly he wasn't sitting anymore — he was standing, suddenly he wasn't contempt — he looked utterly broken and distraught, suddenly he wasn't fine — he had tears strolling down his face that didn't seem to stop.  
"No! No, it's not great! None of this is fine! If you use your abilities against Salem, you'll end her, but, but, you'_ _ll_ _—!" His voiced cracked with emotion, and his head dropped, causing his tears to slam into the wood flooring at his feet. "…You'll die."_

Qrow's flask crashing into the wood flooring was the only noise as they all watched in starting horror, as the boy, who really was too young for any of this, started to refrain himself from sobbing.  
"You'll die." His voice cracked, his arms wrapped around himself as he keened forwards a little with his own weight.

Ruby was the only one who got up and stood next to him. Despite her own emotional turmoil, or that she was willing her tears away. She never did well when Oscar was like this.  
"Oscar?" She voiced.  
Oscar flinched away from her. "I can't…" He mumbled.  
Him flinching away from her, hurt badly, but it wasn't about to stop her, she took the step he took back and reached out to run her fingers through his hair reassuringly. "Tell me why you think this." She asked softly.  
Oscar hadn't dislodged her, not ever. If it had been any other topic her response would have calmed him down completely.  
"It was — it was the one thing we knew that can hurt her but at her level…" Oscar tried to explain.  
They got the gist — something would need to be exchanged, and in this case: Ruby's life for Salem and for her influence to die out completely.  
"There's … no other way?" Pyrrha was the first to ask, as kindly as she could.

Suddenly Oscar moved, to open his eyes and looked up at Ruby, his eyes shining with unshed tears.  
"Please don't use it!" He started, a pleading note, and he unconsciously reached out to grasp her blood-red cloak tails as if he were afraid she could vanish in front of him. "I'll find another way! I promise!" He wasn't yelling, he wasn't stern, he was pleading with a desperate tone. "Please…" He tried his voice cracking, as his head turned downwards as more tears slipped down his face. "…I promise."  
It was far too much for Ruby, who gathered him up to her, and she heard him sob against her.  
"How long have you known this?" Ruby asked him.  
Oscar nuzzled into her. "Since the start." He muttered.

Ruby felt herself freeze.

" _Ruby Rose. You…have silver eyes."  
"Um…?"_

" _Silver eyes_ _! You're the silver eyes!"_

 _"You could tell me to leave and I would. Qrow could hate me, and I would understand."_

 _"Both times, when I first met you, the first non-life-threatening thought of you were your eyes."_

He had always known. How it must have hurt him knowing.  
"Is that what you have nightmares over?" Ruby asked.  
Ruby felt him flinch, and she could gather his answer.

Ruby looked over to see Yang standing up, with such a look on her face it was as if she had realised something horrifying.  
"Were you ever going to tell us?" She asked, seeing Qrow's reaction, and stunned silence, she could gather he hadn't known.  
"I've been trying to ever since I met her. How do you have a conversation with your best friend that…" Oscar tried, but ended up groaning, making Ruby hold him closer.  
Most of them looked at each other: it wouldn't have been something easily done or wanted to have been talked about. Ever since they met the boy the first time, he had always been apologetic to Ruby. And close. He had always been close to her.

"What about Ruby's mother?" Yang asked.  
Ruby flinched in sudden realisation. While her silver eyes were a rare trait — her mother had them as well.  
Oscar, for the first time, leaned out of Ruby, and she let him go painfully. Oscar looked at Yang.  
"No, I — I didn't tell her, I don't know how she found out, but she came to me—Oz? one time and asked about it, she never told me how she found out, I was so surprised she found out, she took my silence as confirmation, and before I could call her back to tell her the full details…" Oscar said, trying to paw his tears away, and feeling Ruby rub his back. He gave her a glance and tried to figure out if she hated him.  
"She left, by herself to go fight Salem, and we never heard from her again." Qrow butted in, finally finding his voice, there was a tone of stark understanding of why Ozpin had told him in person, and why the man had blamed himself. Such guilt and blame seemed to have carried over into Oscar as well. It must have been Oscar himself who wanted to stay so close to Ruby.

"…So, what do we do now?" Blake asked.  
Oscar seemed exhausted from all the emotions thrown about, how he was still standing was a wonder.  
"…Not let Ruby anywhere near Salem?" Oscar pleaded.  
"Aside from that." Weiss said.  
"Is anything we do apart from that going to harm her?" Jaune asked.  
"Take apart her forces, make her weaker." Qrow thought aloud.  
Oscar nodded. "That will help weaken her, take them out, as many as we can, the Grimm as well." He voiced.

Ruby tapped Oscar on the shoulder to get his attention, by so, he looked at her curiously.  
"Is there any way to train my eyes? I can still use them on the Grimm, right?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar blinked at her, there was a sudden flicker of fear before it was swept away. "I can't help with that, but you can develop it on your own. You can use them against Grimm without personal consequence, the worst you might feel is fatigue at best." Oscar told her.  
Ruby nodded thoughtfully, and the topic was dropped.

"So, if they haven't deviated, they'll bring the fight to us!" Nora summed up.  
"In about a month, a week, I think, before school resumes, yes — if they haven't deviated," Oscar responded.  
"My parents said that's when the White Fang plan their attack." Blake noted.  
Oscar nodded thoughtfully. "We still might need to personally guard the relic vault, just in case. If you haven't told Leonardo about Spring, some things might change." Oscar said.  
Qrow nodded and fetched his flask where he dropped it and noted how empty it was. "I kept Raven, and you well out of the conversation." Qrow remarked.  
Oscar nodded, and left it at that.

"So, again, what now?" Blake asked again.  
"We have a month and a bit before the week before school resumes," Oscar voiced, almost in mimic, before he looked to them all. "I'd suggest training as much as you can, taking out as much Grimm as we can along the way." Oscar advised.  
They all nodded, in the silence, they heard the clock chime off in the house somewhere, it was then they realised how dark it had gotten.  
Qrow stood up and eyed Oscar, who was trying not to yawn and not lean into Ruby, who hadn't moved away. "So, we keep her away from Salem, and she's fine." Qrow demanded.  
Oscar was immediately a little more awake, as he nodded. "Yes." He told him.  
Qrow then gave Ruby a stern glare, the girl responded by shrugging lightly. "All of you, off to bed." He ordered, then swept out the room himself.

Oscar watched as RWBY and JNPR went about getting up and stretching their limbs nimbly, they broke off into room partners, while Ruby hadn't moved, aside from waving and bidding them goodnight.  
Ruby took a step away, and Oscar was reacting before he could catch up — he had reached out a grasped her hand to halt her. Some type of anxious vocal noise escaped him as he acted.  
"Ruby…?" He called, his tone tinged with a merge of hesitance and nerves.  
Ruby had immediately stalled, and looked back to him, trailing from their hands up to his face to regard him.  
"Are you —? …Do you still want to be my friend?" He questioned, stuttering to get what he wanted to say across to her anxiously.

Her expression turned incredulous to tempered controlled anger. "Ask me that again, and I'll use my scythe." She told him.  
Oscar blinked in confusion, not exactly understanding where they stood, her response hadn't exactly helped.  
Ruby sighed. "I don't blame you for any of this," Oscar flinched. "I don't hate you for this. And I'm still your friend. None of this is your fault." Ruby told him.  
"I don't…" Oscar tried.  
"And besides! I'm still sharing a room with you!" Ruby interrupted playfully, before tugging at his hand and rushing off, making him trail behind her.

./.

Oscar stared at her sleeping face, Ruby had followed him into bed, and she hadn't let go, not that he had protested. When he had first thought over how the conversation would go down, about him telling her about her involvement in Salem's demise, he really hadn't expected her to react like she had — clinging and understanding. Not a hint of anger, or at how unfair it was to be the scapegoat in killing Salem.  
Oscar really did need to find an alternative that didn't cost the redhead's life. He couldn't take any more from her. He couldn't ask any more of her then he had already.  
It really would crush him.  
Perhaps weakening Salem and taking out her strength would be enough that anyone else could take a swing at her, and end up with her death only.  
As Oscar watched Ruby shifted in her sleep, coming in closer to him, seeing her hair fall across her face, he gently moved it back behind her ear, and he sighed.  
He still needed to apologise to her.

./.

When Oscar woke, he was by himself, and he was immediately sitting up and widely grasping for his staff as he looked around the room. Ruby wasn't there, neither was her scythe, the door was also closed. He jumped up and raced to the single window, and calmed down when he realised it was a time when Ruby should be awake — so there was no immediate need for him to use his staff. He must have realised on some level she wasn't at his side anymore and woke because of it.

He walked out in the main living area to see Ruby was talking to Qrow, it seemed like a high-tensioned conversation, by way of their body movements, and expression, so Oscar turned tail and walked straight into the kitchen — it hopefully would still be stocked with what he needed.  
By the time he was finished — someone hadn't put things back where he remembered them being, the rest of team RWBY was in the living room, taking part of the conversation.  
Ruby was sitting by herself, with her legs cross-legged on the couch next to Qrow, and over from Blake, Weiss and Yang.

Oscar interjecting himself into the group by shoving a mug into Ruby's hands and sitting next to her.  
Ruby blinked at the suddenness of her holding a mug, and looked to Oscar for an explanation.  
Seeing her questioning look, Oscar just chuckled. "Just drink it, trust me on knowing you'll actually like it." He told her. Her teammates watched on in wary, they knew Ruby's need for the actual sugar bowl to be in her coffee, and they weren't exactly sure if Oscar knew that.  
Ruby just stared at him then back to the mug she held silently.  
"Maybe you can do one better, Oscar," Qrow started.  
It definitely got his attention. "At what?" He asked.  
"Making sure Ruby stays out of trouble," Qrow said, with a stern look at Ruby.  
Ruby just spluttered indignantly.  
All the while, Oscar burst out laughing. "Before it was me who needed watching!" He said, making Ruby glare at him.  
"I've got my other eye on you, pipsqueak!" Qrow told him.  
Whoops.

Ruby covered her giggles by taking a sip from her mug, everyone paused when she let out a whine of surprise. "What is this?!" She spluttered.  
It only served to make Oscar laugh.  
"Knowing Oz, it's probably hot cocoa." Qrow mumbled, seeing Oscar doubling over with laughter when Ruby sculled down the rest of the mug's contents.  
They watched as Oscar just gave her his as if he was prepared for her reaction.  
Which he probably was.

/

* * *

/

Oscar had sat up on his perch in the outside courtyard to watch with one eye once he gave Ruby Jaune's weapon, and Pyrrha's to Jaune, the other eye was on his staff as he continued to rough it out of its splinters.  
Out of everyone present, Ruby had the less experience with handling other weapons due to the fact she had spent the time they had trained wandering over Anima.  
Oscar thought it was best to go with something Ruby was familiar with seeing since she had gotten hand-to-hand down enough that she'd only be in trouble if she went up against something like Yang.  
Everyone else either had a day off or dreaded chores to do.

Oscar looked up when he felt a presence near him, turning his head, he saw Pyrrha regarding him curiously.  
"Miss Nikos?" He questioned curiously, she would be the only Huntress he currently knew he had no words for and no prior personal knowledge about how to handle any of her questions.  
"I have a question," She started, leaning against the railing and looking back towards Jaune and Ruby sparring, they seemed to be on equal grounds, and more exuberant then nervous with each other as they danced around each other.  
"I will try and have an answer for you," Oscar answered truthfully, leaving his woodwork for now and giving her his attention while keeping an ear to Ruby.  
"You have given specific instructions to most of our group," Pyrrha stated, looking away from Jaune to Oscar, who had his head cocked at her.  
"That is true, I'm going on memory and going with what worked best then." Oscar spoke out thoughtfully.  
He watched as an expression past over her face. "Is there something I can be doing?" She asked.

It made Oscar flinch. "To be truthful…I'm not too sure what you should be doing, Miss Nikos. I apologise for that. You're not part of my personal memories, only Oz's." Oscar said, but hadn't needed for a reminder.  
"I understand that." Pyrrha told him.  
Oscar looked away. "Aside from understanding the need of what we're trying to achieve by mastering each other's weapons, and honing your own skills as a Huntress further then I remember them…" Oscar said thoughtfully and looked back to regard her. "I'd say you're doing exceedingly well, and to remind you not to take on any Maidens by yourself." Oscar told her.

Pyrrha gave out a chuckle. "Lesson learned on that front, I'm afraid." She said, happily.  
Oscar nodded. "Then just keep doing what you're doing, help Jaune when he needs it, and stand by him even when he doesn't." Oscar told her.  
Pyrrha nodded, she understood the undertone of what he was saying. "I understand." She told him.  
Oscar grinned, then pushed off from the railing to stand. "Good!" He told her just as happily. "Let's go have some fun." He told her, and grasping his staff, he entered the fray, noting Jaune and Ruby's yelp, one of which was in fright and the other was in triumph.

Pyrrha watched on for a second, happily, before she went and stood at Jaune's side. "How about we make this fair." She demanded with a laugh.  
Ruby just laughed and chucked over Jaune's weapon. "I dunno, _is it_?" She asked mischievously, as she reached for Crescent Rose.  
It caused Oscar to laugh, then whack Jaune over the head when he stalled.  
"HEY!" Jaune yelped, and Pyrrha laughed.  
They all knew well enough that no one could wield Crescent Rose, in any form, they never even tried.

They had an audience by the time Ruby retrieved Crescent Rose, with their two teams and Qrow watching curiously as the four fighters sparred with smiles on their faces.  
They noticed that as they playfought, they increasingly used their auras and semblances, all except Oscar, who while used his aura defensively, didn't actively use his Semblance.  
With friendly fire dust bullets loaded into Crescent Rose, all Jaune and Pyrrha needed to fear was bruising from the weapon, but even so, they dodged its bullets all the same.  
Ruby lodged Crescent Rose into the ground on the far end of the courtyard to gain distance from both Jaune and Pyrrha, having taken Oscar with her when she backed off. Before she could fire, Pyrrha used her Semblance to push Ruby away from her weapon, not quite realising how close Ruby was to the edge, but noticing with the push, Ruby's aura broke.  
Ruby was then flung off the side, with a yelp of surprised-panic.  
"Ruby!" Several screamed out in terror.

Only to pause when an expression passing over Oscar's face as if he was suddenly far away. He acted much the same as he quickly ran over to Crescent Rose, and surprisingly to them all, was able to use it to shoot out a distraction bullet as he lifted his other hand in the direction of where Ruby had disappeared as his eyes seem to shimmer golden. They watched nervously as the boy seemed to struggle, and his footing seemed to drag into the dirt as if he was being pulled forwards.  
"Come on, come on, come on, come on…!" Oscar near yelled, his tone more panicked and frantic with each mantra he voiced.

An unfortunate bird passed between the open space, and seemed to freeze in place once its path crossed directly in front of him, they watched in amazement as Oscar's feet seemed to drag more under more weight as he grated his teeth audibly.  
Suddenly the bird moved backwards on itself, and Oscar seemed to pull his feet back faster than the bird which was moving backwards out the way, its trajectory changed then suddenly unfroze and flew away.

They were holding their breath by the time smaller red flower petals were moving erratically backwards towards Oscar who by now had his other arm gripping his outreached one.  
"You're not allowed," He gasped, still pulling, several petals moved more than the others that had gathered from the cliffside. "I'm not letting you go…!" He growled, and more petals were pulled over the railing as he stepped back another step, but his feet dragged again making the boy hiss out. "You're not allowed!" He yelled urgently, and he yanked his arm back.

Suddenly Ruby reformed and fell from the sky into the dirt as Oscar fell backwards, losing his grip with a startled yelp.  
Ruby, who was face up sprawled on the ground stared up at the open sky stunned, before she raced up to her feet and ran over to Oscar, ignoring her stunned silent teammates and family.  
"Oscar!" She yelled.

She raced to him and skidded on her knees to his side.  
"Oscar?" She asked nervously seeing his eyes were closed.  
Frantic she checked his neck for his pulse, and found it there, even if it was erratic, from it she gathered him up close, and heard him moan in pain.  
"Uncle Qrow!" She yelled, finally looking from Oscar to the others.  
It spurred them all to run.

"What just happened!" Several asked, gathering around.  
"How does he know how to use Ruby's scythe?" Nora questioned, seeing that Ruby was no longer frantic, she knew Oscar wasn't in immediate danger.  
They all stared incredulously, they knew how hard it was to even attempt finding the release triggers, let alone _firing_ a different round then what was already loaded, which was what he had actually done. While doing whatever else he was doing at the same time.

"Is he okay?" Ruby asked in concern.  
"I think you'd find he just used his Semblance to save your life." Qrow told, and from what he had seen and seeing how Oscar laid himself out, he probably overworked himself.  
"…So, he's going to be alright, right?" Ruby asked again.  
"He should be fine, kiddo. How're 'bout you? You fell off the ledge." Qrow told her in alarm.  
Ruby blinked. "Huh. I'm not actually sure what happened." Ruby voiced.  
"I didn't realise how close you were, I'm sorry!" Pyrrha told her tearfully.

Ruby looked at her and grinned. "I'm alright!" She said.  
"He might not be," Pyrrha muttered.  
"I know," Ruby told her, looking back at the boy in her arms. "He'd probably be more comfortable in his bed…" She said.  
Qrow helped her up, and they all noticed how she didn't use her Semblance either.

./.

 _He watched as she fell from the landing.  
He watched as he stretched out his hand to catch her.  
He watched as he missed, and she continued to fall._  
No. Never again…!  
Oscar woke up to sit with a horrified gasp for air.  
Ruby…!

He looked around and felt relief shunt through him heavily.  
She was there. Right there. He had gotten to her in time.  
Oscar watched as she used his bed as a pillow and he wondered how long he had been under for. With her face facing him, he could tell she was at least peaceful for the moment. Though, he knew he wouldn't be able to wipe her terrified expression as she fell from his mind. He had nearly lost her, _again_.  
He couldn't. Not again.  
He needed to find a way to save her life, no matter the personal cost.  
Oscar stalled and blinked in realisation: at least _that_ way she wouldn't die.

Oscar watched her and reached out for her hand, he wanted to at least have one memory that wasn't her in fear.  
"Ruby…?" He voiced gently for her.  
Ruby grasped his hand tighter and groaned a little. "…Oscar…?" She voiced.  
It did make Oscar grin. "Hello, Miss Ruby." He responded fondly.  
Ruby suddenly shot up and faced him. "You're awake!" She said a little louder.

Oscar blinked at her.  
"…Was I out long?" He asked, a little worried.  
Ruby shook her head. "No, I was just worried when I couldn't wake you. It's been a few hours." She told him.  
Oscar sighed in relief and lent against the headboard of his bed. "That's a relief. Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her searchingly.  
Ruby gave out a laugh as she moved to sit on the bed.

Ruby sided her head when he could barely look at her.  
"Oscar…?" She voiced in concern.  
Oscar flinched and hid his head. She was _fine_ , she was going to _continue_ to be fine. And _**damn**_ his tears!  
Seeing him only made her chuckle sadly as if she understood. "Oscar," She started, her tone soft, and it made him look to her. "Come here," She reached out to him.  
Oscar was crawling down his bed and into her arms before she could encourage him.  
"I nearly lost you, again…" Oscar hissed, failing to breathe properly as she enclosed her arms around him. "Not again, I swear!" He pleaded, holding her close, losing his battle holding back his tears for her.

"Oscar…" Ruby tried.  
"No!" Oscar said startling her, as he pulled back, and he stared at her wide-eyed. "No!" He near yelled in fright and he held on to her, tears racing down his face. "What if you use your silver eyes on me? I won't run, I won't hide. I won't fight you like she would. I promise!" Oscar told her.  
Ruby blinked in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean?" She asked, pulling back a little in her confusion.

"If you…If you use your eyes on me, the magic that holds us together, falls apart, Salem becomes a regular person, and can be hurt by usual means. There will be no more Grimm to fight." Oscar looked terrified. "But you'll…" He blinked and looked at her. "But you'll have to do it without me by your side." He told her.  
Ruby's eyes swelled up unconditionally. "What do you mean." She demanded.  
It caused him to flinch. "Just as you have the ability to kill Salem with your eyes, the reverse, with me, means the same thing." He told her.  
Ruby froze, and she covered her mouth with both of her hands, absolute dread and devastation filling her entire being.  
"With one look…I'll be gone, and you won't be," Oscar said, smiling sadly. "Then you'll be safe, and I won't need to worry anymore." He voiced calmly and as flat as ever.  
"No!" She yelled as she raced off the bed to stand. "That'll be because you'll _be dead_!" She screeched in alarm.

Oscar looked at her and stood up as well. "I'd rather it be me over you." Oscar stated truthfully.  
Ruby could now barely look at him, fearing her own abilities. "I can't hurt you…" She mumbled tears that swelled now spilling over her cheeks.  
Oscar strode forward, and she quickly replaced his steps backwards. "And I can't watch you die! If I hadn't borrowed Oz's—" He cried urgently, holding onto her cloak as if he feared her leaving.  
"And you think I can?! Just sit back and watch you die?!" Ruby yelled back, just as fierce.

Oscar paused for a second, to stare at her in disbelief, as she glared of to his side, not willing to look at him.  
"You've—You've known this all along? That with one look…?" She questioned, glaring at the wall behind him.  
"I've always known. Ever since I first met you." Oscar told her, his shoulders slumping.  
He watched her blink. "All this time…And you've never…" She frowned and risked looking at him. "…Are you afraid of me?!" She asked fearfully, tears welling up again.

Oscar stared at her for a second, to his credit, didn't flinch at the question. "You can't help what's in my nightmares, Miss Ruby." He told her.  
It didn't help her horrified gasp or stop her tears.  
Oscar then sighed. "Once I knew I was in reality, no, you've never terrified me there, nor do you terrify me now." Oscar told her.  
Ruby's look turned incredulous. "But I could hurt you! I have no control over it! Why are you here!" Ruby asked, wanting to take the boy's arms and shake them about in his foolishness. It was like attempting to stay near Grimm territory! "Why risk it!" She asked, kind of furious.

She could have at any time, lit up her eyes, and if he had been in front of her…  
Oscar then gave out a chuckle. "I have always been careful, and you've now just said you wouldn't do it. Even if it probably is the—"  
"No!" She interrupted. She recalled the several times she could remember when he was around when her elder lit up her eyes — he had always gotten out of dodge as if he could tell when she was about to use her abilities. "And don't you dare run in front of me!" She ordered.  
Oscar blinked, then held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, Miss Ruby," He sighed. "If that is what you want." He said tiredly.  
Ruby nodded her head. "That's what I want." She said.

Oscar blinked at her, then surged forward, heaving his grip on her cloak, still painfully afraid she could walk away from him.  
"Then I beg you, don't use them on _her_!" Oscar pleaded.  
Ruby calmed down seeing that they were literally back at the start. "Alright." She blinked in stunned as her comment literally made the boy lit up with pure happiness.  
"Promise?" Oscar asked weakly.  
Ruby nodded. "I promise. On one condition." She requested.  
Oscar cocked his head at her. "What's that?" He asked.  
Ruby grinned. "Find another way." She told him.  
Oscar smiled. "You don't need to tell me twice! As long as you don't leave," He took hold of her chin to make her look at him. " _And_ you continue looking at me. I'll be sad if you don't." Oscar told her.  
And she really didn't know how to respond to that, her mouth was hanging unattractively open until he laughed and closed it for her.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Someone, I can't remember who, said this story wasn't angst or sad enough. IS THIS ENOUGH FOR YOU?!

For those who haven't read the prequel to this because I said in the _A/N_ s there that it had spoilers, can now read it. Since this was the spoiler.

I am curious if anyone has picked up on the subtlety of how Oscar works, and if you picked up why. Oscar himself works with his emotions, and his feelings for Ruby extremely subtle but in a way that if you can pick it up, are _just in-your-face-loud_. I'll give you a cookie, or a preview of the next chapter if you tell me.

 **Up Next:** Oscar tries to fix his problems with hiding 100 cookies. Unfortunately for everyone else, (that isn't Ruby), that was forcibly involved. (Poor Weiss was never the same).


	15. Part 3 - Chapter 15

**Summary:** Oscar tries to fix his problems with hiding 100 cookies. Unfortunately for everyone else, (that isn't Ruby), that was forcibly involved, Poor Weiss was never the same. Oscar asks for favours. Grimm hunts and clothing destruction. Shopping becomes a thing. Oscar finally gets a clue about Ruby: Questions if he could really be that dense (he was, and he still can be).

/

* * *

/

 _When I see your smile, tears run down my face I can't replace. And now that I'm strong I have figured out, how this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul, and I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one. I will never let you fall — I'll stand up with you forever, I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven. It's okay. Seasons are changing, and waves are crashing, and stars are falling all for us: I can show you I'll be the one. 'Cause you're my true love, my whole heart: Please don't throw that away! 'Cause I'm here for you: Please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay here!  
— Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

 _Other music  
Dead by April — Perfect the Way You Are  
Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars — Safe & Sound_

Part 3 — Chapter 15

Oscar knew there was a problem when Ruby started to avoid making eye contact with him whenever she could.  
And he wasn't about to take that standing.  
Promises aside, he knew she couldn't bear to bring her eyes to him. Her concern really wasn't warranted. At the moment he probably knew when she was about to use her abilities better than she did herself.  
At least he knew on a fundamental level she at least didn't hate him. Otherwise, he'd think she did.  
And there really was only one way to fix it.  
Which involved making cookies. …And introducing back the Cookie Hunt Day, (unfortunately, for everyone else).

./.

"Ruby!" Oscar called, making sure she stayed put and didn't run off again, and he ignored Qrow's chuckle.  
He better get ready to _run_. Else he was about to get whacked. And not by him this time. Ruby would do it for him.  
Ruby flinched but looked in his direction. "Oscar?" She responded.  
Oscar threw something at her, that made her yelp as she tried to catch it and fumbled several times while doing so.  
They all watched as she stared at the object he threw at her. "This is…?" Ruby tried, holding up a cookie. It was _warm_. "You can make these?" She questioned. It was _edible_. And _chocolate chip_.

Oscar nodded. "Better think fast. I hid one hundred." Oscar told her with a grin.  
Ruby forgot everything as her eyes grew two sizes in her head, and a grin split her face. "Where?" She demanded, finally looking at him in the eye. She looked as animated as usual, and thankfully, that depressed look was washed away finally.  
"This compound isn't getting searched by the rest of us, Ruby." He told her with a cheerful grin.  
With a direction, Ruby combusted into rose petals. "DID YOU HIDE THEM ALL OVER?!" Ruby yelled.

Oscar chuckled as Jaune yelped out in surprise when Ruby ran him over since he was in the hallway.  
"Maybe," Oscar told her.  
They all heard her screech.  
And this was how they were reintroduced to a Cookie Hunt Day. And found out, unfortunately, no one, but Oscar was safe. Not even Weiss, who was sleeping through its introduction. Weiss was thrown out of her bed when Ruby dived underneath it in her search. Qrow got a boot to the head as she raced over him that Oscar snorted at.

Qrow had laughed seeing rose petals race everywhere.  
"Did you finally get fed up with her?" Qrow asked as he laughed.  
Oscar pouted. "She promised." He muttered.  
Qrow looked at him in amusement as Ruby started throwing cushions. He laughed further when he saw the pout. "What did she promise?" He asked, chuckling.  
"To not avoid me. I know she's scared, but I know when she's about to use them. I don't have a death wish." Oscar grumbled as he crossed his arms. He was still pouting.  
Qrow blinked at him. "You're not making much sense there, kid." Qrow told him.  
Oscar just sighed. "It's much the same if she were to use her eyes on me if she were to use them on Salem. Just her life is spared because I'm not about to fight her." Oscar told him, sparing a glance to see that his expression was no longer joyful, but a little terrified.

Qrow blinked at him. "…Much the same? She can…?" Qrow asked looking from Oscar to the destruction Ruby had left in her wake.  
"With one look. I asked her to do it last night, but she refused." Oscar told him, instinctively knowing Ruby had disappeared to the downstairs sparring court.  
"What would it accomplish?" Qrow demanded.  
Oscar looked at him. "Ruby keeping her life? Salem losing her powers, and returning to mortal strength?" Oscar questioned widely.  
Qrow scoffed. "I still think you're forgetting you are a part of her life. Again." Qrow told him.  
Oscar shook his head. "I know that." He said while sighing.  
"Then act it." Qrow insisted. "She might never forgive you if you say such things." He continued.  
Oscar just groaned. "I know that!" He hissed.

Ruby suddenly appeared at Oscar's back.  
"Oscar!" She yelled.  
Oscar gave out a blink of surprise but automatically lent forward to take her weight.  
Qrow laughed.  
"Oscar! Look! I found them all!" She celebrated. Naturally, there was no evidence of this, since she ate them when she found them, but it caused Oscar to chuckle all the same.  
"Good job!" He replied happily. "You might want to apologize to anyone you inconvenienced during your hunt." Oscar advised.  
Ruby's eyes widened before she raced off again, calling for her teammate.

Oscar looked back to Qrow.  
"I need a favour." He started.

/

* * *

/

They knew exactly what was going down with their next mission when Oscar wasn't immediately stuck to Ruby's now anxious side but Qrow was instead.  
Oscar wasn't able to. Not even if he wanted to. And he couldn't calm her anxiousness, or the many times the girl looked at him pleadingly. He couldn't help her. Not this time.  
He could only stand behind her and hope to any gods left that nothing went wrong.

It wasn't exactly hard to find a pack of Grimm.  
They just needed to hunt them all down, until there was only one that Ruby could practise on, and if she couldn't call her abilities, to harm it a little to call more.  
Most watched Oscar's reactions, since he seemed to know before even Ruby knew herself, that if he got out of dodge, they knew they were going to be blinded for a few seconds.  
Then the process would start all over again to find another pack until Ruby got the hang of calling up her ability without relying on chance that it would randomly burst out of her and controlling it and its strength.

Every time they watched as Oscar flinched before he bolted, only to look at Ruby in concern once the light show was over.  
Each time they watched as he evaluated which Grimm to keep around, and which not to. He never left elders for her to practice against, which was slowly becoming a problem when they culled their surrounding Grimm population.

They knew they were in trouble when the ground started shaking — they had stumbled upon what looked like an elder pack of Alphas.  
They came charging out of the surrounding forest, their ages ranged by their rank and spines.  
There were enough of them to take out one per Huntsmen, in the chaos none had given a target to Ruby, who went after the one everyone left alone, having figured it was hers, seeing no age marking it as an elder.

Ruby got its attention on her and stepped back in length to keep its attention trained on her. She crouched feeling her eyes react in the now familiar tingle, before feeling panic run through her veins when she could feel herself becoming too overwhelmed. She had lost control.

Oscar stalled in reactive fear. "Ruby! NO!" He yelled, and acted, not caring for her eyes whiting out in colour, and rushed to her, knocking her off balance, as light burst from her Oscar hurried curled one hand around her, forcibly to make her eyes closed as he tucked her into his chest as they went flying with his other arm winding around her to keep her close protectively from the attacking Grimm.  
They all heard the pained cry Oscar gave out even before he hit the ground.

The rest of JNPR and RWBY acted fast by taking down the remaining Grimm, Qrow ran over to slay the one gaining ground on Ruby and Oscar as they crashed into the dirt and slid further away.  
Not one Grimm was spared this time.

"Ruby!" Oscar yelled, his tone full of worry and concern, getting up first, curling one hand in pain that seemed to be smoking and the other to shake her. "Ruby, get up!" He called to her, shaking her to get her to wake up faster. "Wake up!" He yelled, his tone changing to fear as the rest ran over. Ruby gave out a groan of pain and confusion. "Ruby!" He continued, his tone flooded with his emotions.  
Most doubted Oscar even realised he was hurt anymore, with her being his sole focus.

Oscar sighed in relief once he noted she opened her eyes and they had returned to their usual silver hue and seemed to slouch in relief, before he locked himself back up when he hissed out in pain, forcibly being reminded that he had been hit by her. He shook his hand briefly as if he thought it would help.  
"Ow," He muttered.  
Ruby was then quick to react. "Oscar!" She yelled, sitting up, and piecing together what she hadn't seen but felt.  
Oscar immediately hid his hand from her. But she reached out just as fast to grasp it as he retreated. Oscar hissed in pain, and Ruby immediately let go hearing him.  
"You're hurt! I hurt you!" Ruby screeched in alarm.

They watched as Oscar hissed again, only to shake his wounded palm again.  
"It's fine." He told her.  
He was met with more than one set of incredulous eyes.  
"How is this fine!?" Ruby screeched, pointing.  
Oscar blinked at her and mentally praised her that she was making direct eye contact with him.  
"You lost control," Oscar noted, eyeing his palm as he paused shaking it, the pain slightly dulled.  
Ruby reared back. "How did you…?" She questioned.  
Oscar yanked his glove off with his teeth and noted where her eyes must have met his palm by where it hurt more than the spanning spider web of pain that spiralled outwards by the time he had managed to close her eyes.  
"Had you completely gone through hitting the Grimm, it would have resulted in a similar result as Beacon Tower." Oscar's voice sounded hissed coming out muffled around his teethed glove.

With the glove stilled in the air by his teeth, they could see it was ruined as if dissolved and burnt. Oscar seemed far more focused, more interested in his actual hand, feeling a breeze, he stilled his movements in his fingers to check for functionality, which unfortunately allowed them to see the scarring white-silver spirals starting to web onto his palm, to his fingers and as far down his wrist it began to scar up his forearm.  
Ruby screeched out in fear.  
"How is this okay?!" She yelled.

Oscar stilled, then got out his scarf to wrap around the scarring wound and stuff his destroyed glove away.  
"Because I said it was?" Oscar questioned.  
Ruby seemed stumped at that, but it didn't still her swelling tears. "I hurt you." She sobbed.  
Oscar regarded her and brought up his other hand to caress her fringe away and back behind her ear, then placed it on her shoulder softly, feeling resistance, he didn't pull her closer: he was too aware that there could now be new boundaries she set up. He wouldn't push her. He just hoped he hadn't frightened her away.  
"Is there a way to reduce it? The pain?" Qrow asked curiously from his crouch next to Oscar.  
"Hmm…?" Oscar voiced, then frowned. "Ah, no. I'll be alright once the pain goes away," Ruby hiccupped as she whined, and he patted her shoulder in consolidation. "They'll stay there, I won't have hindered movement if that's your concern." Oscar said offhandedly.

He noted the many concerned looks from the two groups.  
"Now, I suggest that we head back before the Grimm finds us." Oscar ordered.  
They weren't about to disagree.

/

* * *

/

In the days afterwards, they noted that Ruby, while guilty, hadn't been able to distance herself more than usual, (and if she tried, Oscar ran after her). Oscar didn't seem to mind her closeness, all for it he looked even more confused when she wasn't next to him, he hadn't taken his scarf away from his hand once he tidied the wrap up around his palm and up his forearm as much as he could.  
It only took that long for Oscar to get fed up, and stalk over to Qrow.  
"Hey, Qrow?" He started, getting Qrow's attention. "Can I have a favour?" He questioned.  
"What's up, kiddo?" Qrow asked.

"Have we any spare money? I need new clothes." He asked.  
Qrow just groaned and threw out a few lien cards at Oscar. "Have at it kiddo, take Ruby with you. Sort this out." Qrow demanded, not wanting them to keep on acting as they had been.  
He had trodden on too many eggshells by that point because of them.  
Oscar nodded, getting the gist. "Miss Ruby!" He yelled and then the room was immediately swarmed by rose petals. "Get your scythe, if you've forgotten it again: we need to go shopping!" He yelled, she then raced out the room again. "She'll regret one day leaving it behind in her room." Oscar grumbled. He knew she would since he could remember the day when she actually did.

./.

Oscar knew exactly where to go for what he needed.  
"So, where're we going?" Ruby questioned curiously.  
"I need new clothes, and Qrow asked you come to." Oscar told her.  
She understood that. "…You've done this before, right?" She continued, remembering when she first met him he had different clothes.  
Oscar grinned. "Yep!" He cajoled happily.  
It caused Ruby to grin.

Oscar knew which shop to duck into to find his clothing: a shirt he remembered wearing, and actually liked the feel and black colour. It didn't have such a higher collar as his current shirt, but he found he wasn't deterred much. The benefit of having memory of having done this previously, he didn't need to go through various sizes to find his own. Which saved time considerably. Which he wanted to limit since he needed to give Ruby his staff while he looked about and changed. This time, Ruby actually bounded around the shop with him, instead of waiting outside. With her in his thoughts, he knew this time 'round to have pants that actually had pockets since he remembered Ruby liked to give him various things to hold, that ranged from her lien cards to ammo packs and then proceeded to _forget_ she had. He eyed a pair of copper brown cargo pants, that had pockets, ruffling through them he found his size and was off to the next idea in his brain.

As well, the other difference would be his gloves — he would need to change them, since one died spectacularly, as well as he wanted to hide his forearm in the hopes that Ruby would forget about the scars underneath. Gloves, if memory served, were by the belt accessories. Since he could remember he always had issues with his gloves sliding off his hands, so he normally secured them with smaller belts. Grasping a pair of gloves as well as some accessory belts of various lengths he added them to his pile alongside regular sized belts and braces he remembered having.

"Miss Ruby!" He called, having noted she had bounded away when her interest was caught by something on the other side of the shop.  
She was immediately back at his side, with an open expectant smile. "'Sup!" She called.  
He gave her a chuckle. "Going to change." Oscar told her, pointing to the private rooms behind him.  
Ruby seemed to stall at that, but she nodded. "Good to know I won't think you've vanished!" She told him gratefully.  
Oscar siding his head again. She had done that before. The stalling thing. It was normally followed by her face going red. He blinked as he walked into the stall and dumped his clothing into a basket once he kicked the door closed and locked it.  
…Perhaps she wasn't as angry at him like he first thought.

Once he pulled the cargo pants on, he slammed his feet into new sepia-coloured boots and went about fastening them up before he went about his gloves and everything else.  
Oscar pulled off his remaining glove and then turned to his scarf to pause as he thought. He unwrapped the scarf only to wrap up a stretch of white tape he had on him previously, the same likes wrapped around his collarbone and lower neck. Oscar then bound the scarf up into a thin line and tied it on his upper arm, that once his shirt was on only the scarf tails would be seen.

He went about putting on the on-the-inside braces, then went about fixing belts around his lower waist that hung lower on one side then the other on his hip, going through only one belt loop, one coloured a dark auburn colour had a magnetic strip on its back, so he could hold Crescent Rose if Ruby forgot to, since it would be free to do so. The others, a chocolate colour, were to hold ammo and dust cartridges since someone (mainly Ruby) somehow always managed to run out. Fixing them to his self, he was able to pull the black shirt over his head and smooth it down to see his scarf tails poking out aesthetically.

Oscar then could battle his gloves. Pulling the tawny coloured gloves onto his hands he dug around for the olive green accessory belts and wound them from his knuckles crossing them across his dorsal side, circling his wrist then crossing again up the middle of his forearms where the buckle sat. It kept the gloves on his hands and took away notice of his bandage.  
He looked about himself in the full-length mirror, and seeing no error, he took up the receipts and his older clothes and left the stall.

Ruby wasn't about when he made his way out, or his way to the clerk manning.  
The new additions to his attire hadn't cost much more then what the original had.  
The man was kind enough to bin his other clothes again as well.

Oscar turned around to see Ruby, who had stalled, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open in astonishment.  
"…Okay, I'm assuming that reaction is good… Because I honestly can't tell." Oscar told her.  
Her face was beet red.  
She was staring at him, enough he was glad she wasn't holding anything because she might have dropped it.  
Oscar went over to her and noted her face got redder in colour, and she blinked several times as if in a haze.  
—Not in anger. _It wasn't in anger_! Suddenly Ozpin's remark about the birds and the bees was…!  
Oscar stopped functioning since he wasn't capable of processing _that_. It had…always been that way? How dense was he?! ( _How dense was_ she _if she hadn't noticed either, or first_?!)

Ruby shook her head out of the clouds.  
"Uh, you, you look, good?" Ruby spluttered out.  
Oscar fought _really_ hard to keep his grin civil.  
"Thanks!" He told her.  
Ruby then looked thoughtful. "Is there any lien left?" She asked curiously.  
Oscar nodded. "Sure, Qrow gave me a lot." He told her.  
Ruby's eyes lit up with pure delight. "Here!" She started, literally shoving his staff and Crescent Rose at him, then combusted into a shower of petals that raced over to the other side of the room where the feminine clothes were stocked. "I'll change too!" She called.  
That wouldn't bode well for him. He wanted to buy her something.  
Oscar mentally groaned at that, but he could at least buy her something she wouldn't expect to buy herself, that way he could still say it was from him.

./.

Ruby mentally wanted to get back at Oscar, for disarming her like he had done with his new clothing choices. So, she raced over to the pieces she had wanted to wear herself but held back since at the time she wasn't sure of how much lien they had, but with Oscar showing her the lien left. She was able to afford them, and the emblem modifications she wanted. Ruby gave a glance over to Oscar, who had ended up coming back to her side, he had a soft bemused expression. She noted that Crescent Rose was at his back, probably snapped onto a magnetic strip, while his staff was at his back. His black shirt was rumpled up to make way for Crescent Rose to snap onto his first main belt.  
Oscar noted the pile of clothes with the same expression.  
"Having fun?" He questioned curiously.  
Ruby grinned and raced down the next aisle, leaving him faithfully to come back to her side whenever he could catch up in his wanderings.

Ruby roped in an attendant to make the motif she wanted, a long-stemmed rose: with its petals, its stem and its leaves pure silver. Ruby also shoved into the attendant's arms, the piece of clothing she wanted it on, waving her lien card to make it happen.  
She then rushed off to pick out accessories, such as the belts she would need. She needed a new support belt for Crescent Rose that could hold up the back case she had kept from her oldest lot of clothes since she hauled Oscar up a lot she found the belt she currently had been fraying with the added weight. Seeing a wide-rim cross-haired two buckled belt she grasped it to see if she could make it work with the others experimentally alongside several arm guards and styles. She grasped several other articles as well and raced back to a curious Oscar, who had stopped following her to stay by the private changing rooms, via the attendant who had finished the design.

Giving him a nod, she picked a stall and slammed the door shut by her foot behind her, and she could hear Oscar's muffled chuckling at her.  
She frowned at the door and kicked it, and it made him break into peals of laughter causing her to grin.  
Ruby placed her new articles on the seat and hung up her cloak on a hook.

Several articles of hers needed to go or replaced as a whole. She hadn't known what had gone through her head when she picked a white blouse, but she regretted it now, it was hell to get stains out of. So that was going and wasn't about to be replaced this time 'round. Several new items were experimental at best, but she wanted to try them and see what they looked like on her.  
Unbuckling the separate support straps and untying her corset she took it and her blouse, skirt and accessories off to shove them to the side, to pull on a dark red thigh length skirt with inner red puffy lace, and pink sheer back-connecting side tails that ended just below her knees in length that had the faded silver rose motif on the right side.

Ruby then pulled on a new wide inset corset on to tie it supportively and redo her red support straps, its main was a darkish brown, its inner lining black with the inset a red that was the same colour as her support upper breast belt.  
Glancing up at the mirror and turning to her sides she noted its look, before grasping the light brown broad waist-up cross-hair support belt that had two buckles either width, one buckling over the corset ends to keep it in place and the other buckling over the skirts. Tying the green waist pincher middle tie, she went about slipping up two corset-like upper arm protectors that had the same brown colour as the corset, her secondary ammo belt that was black and rimmed red, then went about shoving her shoes off.  
Once all the buckles were unbuckled, her shoes off, she took off her socks and the torn thigh stockings, to replace them with high-thigh dark coloured black ones, she slammed her feet back into her socks and shoes.

She then fit Crescent Rose's back case onto the support belt.  
"Hey! Oscar!" Ruby yelled so he'd hear her.  
"…Yeah?" He responded.  
Ruby blinked at the cautionary tone.  
"Could you chuck Crescent Rose over the door?" Ruby questioned.  
"…What?" Oscar asked.  
Ruby chuckled. "Just gimme!" She replied happily.  
She eyed the door. "…Alright, incoming!" He told her, she saw his boots, then saw Crescent Rose's handle above the door, she took hold of it.  
"Thanks!" Ruby yelled.  
"…You better give it back soon; else wise the lady here might hurt me." Oscar told her.  
Ruby snorted in amusement.

Ruby put Crescent Rose in its holster to see its look and tested the weapon's store. It held, and she hoped that with the extra support the belt had, it wouldn't deteriorate as the ammo belt had. Not that she could fully test it since she couldn't haul Oscar onto her back at the moment. Not without a high probability of scarring the boy. No matter her amusement or want on the matter — she wasn't about to scare him off.  
Seeing as much as she could, she held Crescent Rose back above the door, and she felt Oscar tug it back.  
"Hey, Oscar?" She asked.  
She must have stalled him in moving away. "Yeah, Miss Ruby?" He asked.  
"Do you have any more of that white tape?" She asked.  
"…Why?" He asked, his tone now concerned. "…How on Remnant did you hurt yourself in there!?" He continued to ask, his tone concerned incredulous.  
Ruby laughed. "I didn't hurt myself! I just need to use it as a base!" Ruby yelled.  
Then a bit of spooled tape hit her in the head, causing her to yelp, and Oscar to laugh since he could guess where it landed.

Ruby went about bandaging up her left arm, so she could put on a black arm guard to help her when she was in fights that needed her to use her hands.  
She then stared at the black choker she picked out, and ultimately struggled to put on, having not being able to see the back of her head, she struggled for a few minutes before the clasps decided to work for her. It clung to her neck tastefully, and with that it, she was finished adding accessories and her get-up as a whole.  
Pulling her cloak over her head and gathering up her unused clothing, she unlocked the door and left the stall.

Oscar wasn't quite sure what he was in for, but hearing the door unlock, he turned to greet her nonetheless.  
But whatever it was…  
It _wasn't_ _ **that**_ _._  
As she stepped out, his entire being shut down: he couldn't think, couldn't move, or talk.  
He was pretty sure his mouth was hanging open too. And then she _grinned_.  
Yep. He pretty much knew she was getting him back for something. Deserved or not, it was going to begin to be a problem.  
His stomach could stop doing the flip-flops any time it liked. And his temperature. That could go back down to normal too.  
Ruby bounded over to pay, the man again took what she hadn't used and offered to bin the clothes she had previously worn. Oscar wasn't sure how, but he followed her in any case of his mental shutdown.

Her getting annoyed at her fringe returned his focus to the norm and made him turn on his heel and wander back into the part of the store they had left from. Since he doubted she would cut her hair anytime soon, she needed a way to keep it out of the way while fighting. And as much as he enjoyed putting it back behind her ear, it wasn't conducive in a fight.  
Not that he knew what he was looking for. He hadn't done shopping for a girl before.  
"Uh…" He voiced, looking around.  
"Do you need help?" An attendant asked the same one Ruby had roped into helping previously.  
Oscar looked at her. "Uh, yeah, um, my friend," Oscar pointed to Ruby who was giving out the receipts for what she had put on. Oscar also noted the suspicious look the attendant gave him when he said _friend_. But he ignored it. "Um. She needs something to keep her hair back from her eyes…" Oscar said a little lost for words to describe what he wanted.  
The attendant sided her head, then looked as if she understood. "Right! This way!" She said and made him follow her to the other side of the room, where Ruby hadn't ventured.

She led him to a wall that had all sorts of knickknacks on hangers.  
"These here can hold hair back." She added.  
Oscar blinked, then nodded her off. He could hopefully deal with this.

…Not that he knew what she liked, in the way of hair pieces, since he had no memory of her wearing anything in her hair. Not even when she had that prom dress on, back before Beacon Fell.  
Oscar sided his head as he took in the many styles and versions. They ranged from huge things, that wasn't exactly practical for a Huntress, to smaller things that he wasn't exactly sure would hold anything back.  
He chose one style at random to try and figure out how it worked. Turning it around he noticed the latch, and that the receipt went through it. Snap? Did it snap open?  
Pulling it between his fingers, he figured out how to open it, it snapped. He noted the hair extensions and strode over to it, to see if it would work.  
It seemed the better option, and it might not fall out if it snapped in place.

He paused when out of the corner of his eye he saw something golden glinting in the sun, left and forgotten. Oscar thumbed it out of its hiding place and stared.  
On the receipt, there were several pins of one design: a golden rose. And in the middle of the rose, was a little green sparkling gem. With it, also came bundled together with another receipt — ribbons in the same green colour that the gem was.  
Some part of his brain noted that it was _his_ colours. …And not something Ruby needed to ever know about.  
…But he did kind of want to see her wear it.

So, he went about trying to figure out how the pin worked, and if it would be practical. It was of a different design in the snap hair pieces that he wondered if it would fall out. While trying to pry it open he noted the little graspers and clasp at the end once he figured out how to open one of them. He stuck in the hairpiece and noted how it sat and moved — it kept hair away from unwanted areas, and the ribbons seemed to wrap around the hair it was pulling together.  
Pulling it away from the piece of hair, he ran back to the counter to slap down the receipts before Ruby could finish paying.  
"These too!" He cried happily.  
Ruby blinked at him in confusion, but the man manning just added the receipts to her total, and he added the extra lien.  
"What are they?" She questioned.  
Oscar just grinned.

Ruby turned to him. "No, seriously?" She questioned.  
Oscar blinked. "…Don't hate me for it? And close your eyes?" Oscar pleaded.  
Ruby blinked at him in confusion but shrugged, and to his amazement, closed her eyes.  
Seeing so, he grasped the pins, her hand and pulled her gently out of the way in case anyone else wanted to pay.  
Once they were out the way, he stopped her gently, and she gave out an amused bark of laughter "Oscar…" She chided in amusement.  
"No, hang on, don't open your eyes!" He insisted, breaking open one pin, to hold it on his finger as he gathered one side of her fringe to move away from being directly falling into her eyes, he kept it there by pinning the opened pin on his finger and added an extra underneath it and tired up the ribbons to keep the rest from her face.  
He did the same for the other side  
By then she was giggling. "Oscar, what _are_ you doing?" She questioned as she felt him fiddling with her hair, not knowing he was tying ribbons or fixing pins.  
"Shush…!" He voiced in mirth as he fixed pins.

Oscar fiddled until he was satisfied the pins wouldn't move or distract her eyesight.  
Taking a step back, he noted the surge of emotions that it caused him to see the pins.  
"Can I have your scroll for a second?" Oscar asked.  
He watched the confusion paint her face before she shuffled about reaching her "girly pockets", which were "the worst", apparently.  
It wasn't _just_ apparent, from the amount of stuff he needed to hold for her, those pockets of hers did crap all.  
Ruby took out her scroll and held it open to the air for him to take.  
"Thanks," He told her as he took it.  
He had never personally owned a scroll, but he knew hers. And Ozpin had memories of how to work them.

Oscar couldn't help the chuckle at noting her passcode was still the same.  
…Not that she knew that.  
"Oh, wait, the pass—" Ruby started, she stalled when Oscar laughed.  
"I remember your passcode, Miss Ruby." Oscar told her, as he scrolled through to find the camera profile.  
"Oh. Right…?" Ruby ended up questioning.  
Oscar looked at her. "Alright, open your eyes," Oscar told her.

Ruby immediately knew there was something different.  
"Wait, what?" She questioned, not quite understanding what was different, or the fond expression he had on his face. To her knowledge, she hadn't done anything to warrant the expression returning. But him returning to that default expression really did mean he hadn't faulted her for his arm injury.  
Oscar just pulled up her scroll.  
Ruby now knew what was different as she silently took the scroll from him in reverence.  
"They're pretty…" She voiced in awe, seeing the gold roses pinning her fringe out the way. "How did you…?" She asked astounded at his thoughtfulness.  
"…You're not mad?" Oscar questioned oddly.

Ruby stared at him in incredulousness.  
"Why would I be mad? I didn't think to do anything about my fringe!" She told him.  
Oscar smiled at her. "Well, good, I kinda wasn't sure what to do about it, since there are so many things to put in hair, …apparently. I hope they aren't too small and are actually helpful." Oscar told her, with a little lost shrug.  
Ruby stared at her reflection in her scroll. She actually wouldn't care if they were useless, she would keep them all the same. …Not that it was because he thoughtfully gave them to her, or anything.  
"They're really nice, I think they're doing their job, since I can see," She moved her head a few ways to see how they worked. "And they don't get in my eyes!" She celebrated.

Oscar just ended up chuckling. "Should we get back to Qrow and the others? I think we've been here for a long time." He told her.  
Ruby nodded and bounded off and out the store.  
Oscar felt himself pause when the setting sun reflected off a golden rose and made the green gem sparkle when she looked at him and smiled.  
…Totally worth it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Up next: Up next: Oscar inadvertently meets Leonardo, flips a switch and it pretty much goes downhill from there.


	16. Part 3 - Chapter 16

**Summary:** Oscar inadvertently meets Leonardo, flips a switch and it pretty much goes downhill from there.

/

* * *

/

 _Hey, love, is that the name you're meant to have…for me to call? Look, love, they've given up believing, they've turned aside our stories of the gentle fall. But don't you believe them…? Don't you drink their poison too? These are the scars that words have carved on me. Hey, love, that's the name we've long held back from the core of truth. So, don't turn away now, I am turning in revolution: these are the scars that silence carved on me. Hey, love, I am a constant satellite of your blazing sun. My love, I obey your law of gravity: This is the fate you've carved on me.  
— Vienna Teng_

 _Other music  
Plumb — Need You Now (How Many Times)  
Kokia — Melody of Love_

Part 3 — Chapter 16

Oscar and Ruby got back to the academy grounds just after sunset, Ruby paused in the courtyard to watch the street lamps flicker into life.  
Oscar looked at her. "Miss Ruby?" He questioned curiously, pausing when he felt Ruby stop walking. He did take a second to admire how the darkened light and the shine of the moon reflected back from her eyes.  
No matter how dangerous they were to him, he still found them exceedingly beautiful to gaze at.  
She looked at him and gave him a smile. "C'mon, we better get back before Qrow has a fit." Ruby told him.  
Oscar chuckled but nodded.

Coming into the main area of the compound they were greeted by Qrow.  
Qrow looked them over but kept his observations to himself. "Have fun, kiddo?" He asked.  
Oscar nodded, while Ruby started to rub one eye tiredly before Oscar gently took her hand away. "You really do forget that it makes things worse." He told her.  
Ruby just yawned at him.

Qrow sighed at them. "I need you guys up early tomorrow, so get as much rest as you can." He told them.  
Oscar looked at him with a startled blink, which told Qrow the scenario was new. "What for?" He questioned curiously.  
"I'm going to talk to Leo again, to make sure he knows we're guarding the relic since no one else is." Qrow told them.  
Oscar blinked, then his expression darkened. "It would be something he'd expect since he has no one guarding it, and what happened to Beacon…" Oscar muttered.  
He could see where Qrow was coming from, and it would be expected that Qrow would offer to guard the vault door.

Oscar looked at him. "You know he will tell them." He said.  
Qrow just groaned. "I know, kiddo. But it's better than no one being there and them slipping under our radar." He replied.  
Oscar nodded and eyed Ruby, who had leant against his shoulder tiredly. "…Do you want to go to bed?" Oscar asked her, she lifted her head and regarded him. "I won't be long." He told her.  
Ruby nodded, yawned and wandered in the general direction of where the stairs up to the second level, where their bedroom was.

Oscar watched her go. "…I really do worry about her when she's like that…" He muttered.  
Qrow looked calculative. "…She can handle night missions, right?" He asked, having not seen Ruby or RWBY have night missions personally.  
Oscar looked to him and nodded. "She can, she's like that now because she doesn't have a mission, and currently feels safer with us near." Oscar said.

Oscar shifted his weight from one leg to the other.  
"So why do we need to be up early?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow moved about to the kitchen, and Oscar followed.  
"Right, Leo wants to meet early, I won't take you all the way, but I will need you to guard out of sight—you can do that right?" Qrow trailed off, looking to Oscar, who glared at him, offendedly. "Right. Never mind. Yeah. I don't expect it to take long, just to tell him we'll be guarding the vault in pairs, so he doesn't kick us out at night." Qrow told him.  
Oscar nodded as he went about getting a glass of water. "Makes sense, he'd expect us to, since you know, the school is unguarded," Oscar noted, then looked back to Qrow curiously. "How do we define pairs?" He questioned.

Qrow lent back against the counters. "The usual, since it's just another duty on the roster for the kids." Qrow said.  
 _The_ _usual_ , was dictated by the previous mission they had, who won and who lost: who'd be paired with who to do whatever chore for that day. Several members usually stayed as pairs, such as Ruby and Oscar, which usually meant if either lost, that both did that particular chore. Other members, like the rest of team RWBY and Qrow, ended up bouncing between each other and the other members of JNPR because of this.  
None of them seemed to mind, as changing partners meant changing their fighting styles. Which they knew to keep up for the battles ahead.  
"…We'll probably need to stop taking missions soon…" Oscar noted.  
Qrow nodded solemnly. "Ruby doing okay?" He questioned.

Oscar refilled his glass and ignored the turmoil in his stomach.  
"She's as well as she can be, I think she'll be alright." Oscar told him.  
"And her abilities?" Qrow continued.  
Oscar flinched at the mention. "She can use them at her own accord, she knows how to reach her abilities without her emotions doing it for her." Oscar started, he drained his glass and set it aside to wash later and looked to Qrow. "So, unless Salem decides to show up, and someone, unfortunately, dies while during that fight, she will be fine." Oscar said.  
Qrow gave him a fixed glare. "And you're sure about this." He demanded.  
Oscar felt his arm ache. "Positively." Oscar returned.

Qrow gave him a glare, Oscar flinched and looked away, making the man huff at him.  
"Make sure you don't do anything stupid either, kiddo. She'll hate us both." Qrow told him.  
"And don't I know it." Oscar muttered, his skin crawled with memories that weren't his.  
Seeing that Oscar understood, Qrow patted his head. "Off to bed, I'll get you two later." He said.  
Oscar nodded, and scampered off, his thoughts too heavy for his age.

By the time Oscar got to his bedroom, Ruby had changed into her pyjamas, chose his bed to climb into, she was sitting up, with the doona pulled around her, most likely to wait up for him, before she had fallen asleep there. He noted that the hairpins were on the bedside table.  
Oscar felt his stress melt away at her attempt to wait for him, seeing her blood-red cloak had fallen off the bed, he went over to pick it up to hang it on its hook. He then got quickly changed and walked back over to Ruby. She only grumbled a little when he moved her, so she was lying down.

Ruby reached out to grasp his nightshirt when she thought he was going to move away.  
"Oscar…?" She mumbled sleepily.  
It caused Oscar to smile, and gently pull her hand away so he could climb over her, so he could lie between her and the wall.  
Ruby immediately followed, turning to her other side.  
"It's okay, Miss Ruby," He told her gently, clearing her fringe away when it fell across her face. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He told her gently before he fell asleep next to her.

/

* * *

/

Oscar woke suddenly when Ruby decided to slam her arm into his stomach and wind him, causing him to groan awake.  
"Ruby…" He groaned in pain.  
She just whined, and seeing how early it was, she would continue to whine at him until it was an appropriate time.  
He did wonder what time Qrow mean as _early_. Early for who?

It was a challenge to get out of Ruby's hold and when he did he immediately pushed a pillow into her arms to settle her.  
She'd hold for hours like that. And he knew it.  
Making extra sure she was still asleep, so he could change, he walked out of the room to see how early was early in Qrow's mind.

…It was apparently _too_ early.  
Since no one else was up or stirring for that matter.  
Qrow, for some reason, was dead to the world on the sofa in the main area.  
And not something Oscar was willing to deal with that early in the morning.  
He had a few hours before he needed to, most likely.  
Oscar went about waking to the kitchen and fixing something up for breakfast, setting something aside for Ruby when she woke as well.

He watched as team JNPR came in one by one as he refilled the kettle with water.  
"So, yeah, hey," Oscar stated, and they all looked to him with varying degrees of tired. "Did Qrow happen to tell you how early, is early for him? Since early for me kinda meant sunrise…" Oscar asked as he turned the tap off and slammed down the kettle lid.  
They all stared at him.  
"Have you been up that long?" Pyrrha asked.  
Oscar shook his head. "No, I woke up when Miss Ruby decided to punch me awake, so I decided to stay awake." He said as he flipped the kettle on once he put it on its stand.  
They looked at each other in amusement.  
"He didn't say, he just said _early_." Jaune told them.  
Oscar just groaned. "What is the time?" He asked, grasping a mug down.  
"It's still probably a little early to worry." Ren said.  
Oscar shrugged. "Fair enough. I guess we'll wake him later." He grumbled and went about getting his drink, while JNPR went about eating breakfast.

By the time Ren went outside to meditate, and Nora fixed her fifth bowl of cereal, Yang, Weiss and Blake appeared in the kitchen.  
"Did he tell you guys how early is early?" Oscar asked, in lieu of a good morning.  
Weiss had bolted for the kettle while Blake stretched her arms and Yang yawned.  
"Was hoping he'd tell you. Nice digs, by the way." Yang said.  
Oscar just groaned woefully.  
"By that response, I'm guessing not." Weiss said.  
"Nope," Oscar grumbled as he crossed arms. "Who's with me to pour water on him?" He questioned.  
"ME!" Nora yelled around her cereal.

Nora ran over to get a glass and fill it with water, only to dash over Qrow with a grin that split her face.  
"Wakey-wakey eggs and bakey!" She cried all too happily and evilly as she threw the water on him.  
Qrow woke up screaming. " _What time is it?!_ " He yelled.  
"How early is early!" Oscar yelled back as the man raced to stand shaking his arms, which got the brunt of the water.  
Qrow glared at them all, before fetching his scroll. "…Not early enough!" He looked around and missed a redhead. "Where's Ruby?" He asked.  
Oscar sided his head. "Still asleep, why?" He questioned.  
"Get her up! We're running late!" He yelled.  
Oscar yelped and wasn't the only one to run off to get ready.

"RUBY!" Oscar yelled as he ran into the room.  
Him being loud woke her up and got her jumping out of bed to reach Crescent Rose.  
"Oscar?!" She screeched.  
"Qrow say's we're late!" Oscar yelled, grasping his staff, and ran back out the room for her to change.  
Leaving Ruby to grumble all the curse words she knew at her uncle.

How they made it to the Academy's doorsteps on time, they didn't know. Or how Ruby didn't spill her breakfast, once Oscar shoved it in her general direction, as they rushed over.  
What they weren't expecting was Leo to be there to greet them in the great hall next to the Maiden statue, _before_ Oscar had the time to split.  
Ruby knew there was something wrong when she felt Oscar flinch next to her, and say something that sounded like a curse word.  
"Leo!" Qrow cried out, nearly tripping over himself.  
"There you are!" Leo responded, almost jumping ten feet in the air.  
Oscar was just glad the lion didn't have his weapon on him. He was tense enough as it was since the entire scenario was new to him.  
"Sorry, Leo woke up late." Qrow amended mournfully.  
His hair was still wet.  
Leo, by now had noted the newcomer. "And who are you, young man?" He questioned curiously.  
Ruby was the only one who saw Oscar flinch before a show of a smile lit the boy's face up.

"Just a concerned citizen!" Oscar relayed.  
Qrow jumped, while Leo frowned.  
"…And your concern?" Leo asked nervously.  
Qrow cleared his throat. "Leo is this the right place…?" He started.  
Leo jumped. "Right…Right! Come to my office! All of you are welcome!" He suggested his tone overall nervous, still confused, but leading the way to his office.

All of them by now were giving Oscar confused glances, but the boy had a smile on his face that Ruby wanted to smack off, and dark clouds hanging in his eyes that made her not.  
She doubted it boded well. At least, not for Leonardo.

By the time they entered Leonardo's office, they had gathered Oscar had a plan of sorts, and they were all exempt from it since he couldn't exactly tell them with Leonardo in hearing distance.  
Leonardo turned around once they were all in his office, Oscar the last person to enter, closed the door with his foot to make it slam close. The loud bang made Leo jump. It almost made Oscar grin sinisterly.  
He totally wasn't going to enjoy this.

"You didn't mention your name?" Leo asked, seeing RWBY and JNPR move around the room to make room for eleven people. Oscar seemed to move apart from the group and stand near the door.  
"My name is Oscar! Oscar Pine!" Oscar greeted. His dark expression was gone when Leonardo was directly looking at him, replaced with that fake smile that made their skins crawl.  
"…You said…you said you had a concern?" Leonardo asked.  
Oscar flat out grinned. "Ah, see, I _had_ met a Huntress before I came here who helped me, but I haven't seen her, or well, _any_ , Huntsmen around recently, so I came here looking for some." Oscar said overbearingly innocent.  
There was something flat and dangerous about his voice that confused Leonardo.  
"But they can't've simply _vanished_. See! I met some on my way here!" He pointed to RWBY and JNPR.  
Leonardo looked pale, and he retreated behind his desk, and while he wasn't looking, Oscar quickly and quietly punched the nearby wall, making those who watched him jump before they realised he was hitting a hidden button of some sort. He was back in position by the time Leonardo had looked back to him.

"I'm afraid most of Mistral's Huntsmen are away right now." Leonardo told him.  
Oscar grinned again, as he bounded on his toes. "Not to worry! I'll stay here until I can find some, Huntsmen sure are real _busy_!" Oscar said.  
"Are you… Are you a Huntsmen?" Leonardo questioned nervously, eyeing Oscar's staff.  
Oscar cocked his head, grinning just a little bit darker. "I was trained outside the academies. So not a Huntsmen in those terms." Oscar told him.  
Oscar wasn't about to say he enjoyed seeing the lion cower for his mistakes.

Leonardo flinched and looked to Qrow, who was visibly upset enough.  
"And your reason for…being here?" Leonardo asked nervously.  
Qrow sighed. "It's just as this kid said, there are no Huntsmen here, so I figured I'd tell you the students here will take over guarding the _school_." Qrow didn't say outright what he meant, for appearance's sake, but Leonardo understood.  
"But…why?" Leonardo asked nervously.  
Qrow scoffed. "Like we need one after Beacon?" He asked.  
For the sake of appearances, Oscar gave them a confused glance.

Leonardo sat down with a tired sigh.  
"When will you start?" He asked.  
Qrow shrugged. "We're nearby, but there'll be at least two students here at night, alright?" Qrow asked.  
Leonardo gave him a look. "As … As long as it keeps _us_ safe and you trust them to do their jobs." He said.  
RWBY and JNPR all gave him offended looks.

Qrow hadn't known what to expect if Oscar met Leonardo, but what he got _chilled him_ , and he could see the pretences the boy had lied through his teeth to get were slowly degrading to the point where Leonardo kept glancing to him in confusion when he caught the boy glaring daggers at him.  
Qrow really didn't want to see the kid throw his staff at the Faunus.  
It would probably end up messy. And he didn't want to be the one to clean it up.  
"We'll be around, Leo." Qrow said in way of goodbye.  
"Good-Goodbye." Leonardo stuttered out nervously.

Oscar was the first to stalk out of Leonardo's office loudly, sending Ruby to chase after him, and the rest to chase after her.

By the time Ruby caught up Oscar, the boy was already in the entrance hall, pacing the width of the Maiden statue with his nearly completed staff out, whacking the air around him as he did.  
Oscar had a frown, his eyes were dark: his overall expression wasn't something any of them had seen before.  
"Oscar…?" Ruby attempted.  
Oscar looked to her, and his expression broke, but he was still too keyed up to stop pacing completely.  
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, seeing he hadn't let her in, to not push it. Not when he was like this.  
Qrow and the rest and gotten to them by that point.  
"Kid?" Qrow asked.  
No one stopped him from pacing or his movements with his staff.  
"I… Really didn't want to believe it before. But, seeing this place, seeing the mission boards…" Oscar started, having stopped in front of the Maiden's statue to look up at it, with an unreadable expression that borderline saddened, before looking to the rest. "They're…They're not coming back." Oscar told them.

Qrow strode forward with a horrified expression.  
"He…!?" He started before he gnarled his teeth in anger.  
Oscar nodded. "I did wonder why no one of them returned to help that night." He muttered, staring back up at the stature forlornly.  
"But why would he do that?" Pyrrha asked in confusion.  
"To empty the school, and the vault so no one could protect it." Oscar said.  
"But we're here!" Ruby protested. "We can protect! We can help!" Ruby told him insistently.  
Oscar looked at her and for the first time that day gave her a sincere smile.

Seeing the expression, Ruby raced to his side and hugged him freely.  
Oscar nearly dropped his staff in his haste to return the hug.  
"You put the pins back in…" He whispered in awe.  
Ruby didn't pull back but nodded into his hair. "Told you I liked them." She returned.

Oscar felt like the wave of dark emotions that had clouded him since he met Leonardo cleared as he nuzzled back into her. "Thank you, Ruby." He told her. Ruby gave out a little confused vocal, but he shook his head. "It's fine if you don't understand." He told her quietly.  
"Maybe I would if you told me?" She asked.  
"One day, I promise." He replied.  
Ruby placed her chin on his head and looked outward to her teammates who were letting them have their peace and were heading for the hall doors to leave.  
"I'll hold you to that." Ruby told him.

Oscar pulled away and smiled at her.  
Ruby grinned and took his hand to catch up to the others.  
"So," Nora bounded on her toes and looked to Oscar. "What was that little button you pressed earlier for?" Nora asked.  
Oscar grinned good-naturedly. "Leo will suddenly not have access to his communication channels properly _or_ the vault entrance." They all looked awed. "I built this school, I know where the panic buttons are." Oscar said gleefully.  
The rest stared at the boy in astonishment because they hadn't known that previously.

/

* * *

/

"Okay, so I have a question," Pyrrha started as they entered the compound, and followed Oscar into the kitchen.  
Ruby, seeing that Oscar was retrieving his mug, flipped the kettle on.  
"I'll try and answer it, if your question is for me, Miss Nikos." Oscar told her, turning to her, noting that Ruby had gone to get the hot chocolate mixture got an extra mug out.  
Seeing Pyrrha nod, he gave her his attention.  
"We need to take turns in guarding the vault, yes?" Pyrrha asked as RWBY and JNPR settled around the kitchen to listen, while Qrow was sitting and fiddling with his scroll.  
Oscar nodded. "The entrance for it, yes." He told them. "Just so we know if they try and take it." He continued.  
Oscar watched as they looked to each other in confusion as Ruby handed him the milk and sugar.  
"The entrance?" Ruby asked.

"There is only one way in and out of the vault," Oscar said, giving Ruby a mug before fixing his own. "The door to the vault can be opened by a mechanism that Leo has." Oscar told.  
"That's why you flipped that switch? So, he couldn't open it?" Weiss asked.  
Oscar nodded.  
"Then why do we need to guard it?" Ren asked.  
Oscar gave out a dark-like chuckle. "Because they don't know that." Oscar said.  
They gave out a vocalisation of their understanding.

"So, where is it? The entrance." Nora asked.  
"The entrance is the statue you saw at the great hall." Oscar said once he took a sip from his mug.  
Ruby gave her mug back, seeing as she finished it, and gave him a smile of thanks for making it for her.

"The statue?" Jaune asked Oscar who nodded. "…Like the one at Beacon?" He continued.  
Oscar gave him a startled blink.  
"Which…?" Nora questioned before she brightened. "Oh! The one outside! Gotcha!" Nora said.

"Well, we know Beacon's okay, for the meantime, let's focus on Haven." Pyrrha reminded, making them all nod.  
"So, how does patrolling it work?" Blake asked.  
Yang looked to her. "In pairs, yeah?" She asked looking from Blake to Oscar for her answer.  
Oscar nodded. "Pretty much just another chore for us to do. We still need to work out the logistics, since it will be needed to be guarded at night as well." Oscar said.  
"…Does that mean whoever guards it, gets the next day off?" Ruby asked.  
"That might be best." Qrow voiced as he tossed his scroll to Oscar, who barely caught it, having not expected Qrow to throw it. "Have a look." He told him.

Oscar blinked at him, then looked at the scroll.  
Qrow had put them all in a rotation that fit all the chores in, as well giving whichever team had the night watch duties, both guarding the vault and overnight sentry to have the day of the next day, or at least the least amount of work in the evening.  
Oscar knew that Ruby was looking over his shoulder and looked to her for her opinion.  
Ruby nodded, seeing him wanting her opinion, but she had a frown she directed at Qrow. "I have a question." She asked as she took the scroll from Oscar to throw at Yang.  
"Shoot," Qrow told her.  
"Yeah, um, why're Oscar and I the first to guard?" She asked as Yang chucked the scroll to Blake.  
Qrow just grinned, and she thought it best to leave alone.  
"You're with me!" Yang boasted as she flung her arm around her Faunus friend.  
Blake blinked at her, giving a glance to the scroll, then giving it to Nora.

While the scroll was playing pass the parcel, Oscar looked to Qrow.  
"Have you been sending updates to Ozpin?" He questioned.  
Qrow who had been eyeing his scroll, as if he thought one of the students were about to break it, looked back to Oscar, and nodded. "As much as I can with the Tower down, why do you ask?" He questioned.  
Oscar shrugged. "This is all new to me, so I'm not really sure of his opinion on the matter." Oscar told him.  
Hearing so, made the students stall and look to him.  
"We've deviated?" Pyrrha asked.  
Oscar nodded, then shrugged. "So, I'm not sure…" He trailed off, and looked to Ruby, with a slightly lost expression.  
"Have they?" Qrow asked as his scroll finally came back to him.  
Oscar just shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. But they most likely will, since we've offered to guard the vault." Oscar said.  
They all looked to each other with varying emotions of concern and worry.  
"So, I'm not sure how they will plan to go about trying to get the relic, but we need to be ready regardless." Oscar stated.  
They all nodded, they weren't about to let that happen, could they help it.

They paused when Qrow looked thoughtful.  
"Hey, Kid," He started, getting Oscar's attention from cleaning mugs.  
Oscar turned to him and cocked his head. "What's up?" He asked.  
"Are there any more of those panic buttons we don't know about?" Qrow asked.  
They watched as a snide smile came across Oscar's face. "Yeah. There is." He said happily.  
"Are there any in the compound? Or at the great hall?" Qrow asked.

Oscar took a second, as if he needed to recall the information, then strode over to the far wall that the fridge was on, then with a curious expression thumbed the wooden lining, and suddenly a loud screeching alarm sounded off, that made them cover their ears while there were sounds of exits being locked.  
"Yes. Yes, there are." Oscar sounded.  
"THAT'S GREAT TURN IT OFF!" Blake and Nora were the loudest to scream.

Once Oscar did, Ruby turned to him.  
"…Maybe just explain where they are and what they do…?" She questioned.  
Oscar blinked. "That might be best." Oscar noted.

"Are they all over the school?" Weiss asked, after Oscar explained several that were all over the complex, with a range of uses from the alarms sounding, exits locking, armouries opening/closing, and room explosions.  
Oscar shook his head. "Just to this compound, the Great Hall and the headmaster's office." He explained.  
Having them all over seemed a tad excessive. And they found out that hand and/or thumb placement was key, off by a little, and the button wouldn't work.  
Oscar had great glee in watching them all try to activate one.  
…They didn't talk about the hole Nora ripped through a wall trying to find one. Qrow just groaned woefully when he heard the banging and crashing, and decided it was a disaster that future him could deal with.

"Wait, does Lionheart know about them? Wouldn't he know the one in his office was tripped?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar blinked at her. "He doesn't know about them." He told her, having automatically grasped her arm when she near tripped over her own feet when she stalled, caught up in her worry.  
"And you're sure?" Qrow asked.  
Oscar nodded. "The only reason I know is because I recalled it from Ozpin. Ozpin was the one who built the school before Leo took office. Ozpin never told the headmasters. If you haven't noticed Ozpin is kinda paranoid about telling things to others." Oscar told them. It had taken Oscar to be actually in the headmaster's office for the memory to surface in the first place.  
Qrow shrugged as Oscar set Ruby back on her feet.  
"You okay?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded. "So, it also tripped his communications, right?" Weiss asked.  
"It did, I wonder how long it'll take them to override it…" Oscar said thoughtfully.  
"Hopefully a few days so we can set out a routine." Jaune muttered.  
They hoped so.

/

* * *

/

Dinner came with as much noise as it usually did. Ruby and Qrow were the only exempt from helping to make it. As letting Ruby near the stove was like allowing Qrow near electronics — nothing good came of it, and often fires or things broke because of it. Qrow usually made himself scarce, and Ruby was delegated to setting the table. _Always_.  
Sometimes Oscar helped her with the many bowls, plates and utensils they had needed so they could all eat. But with Ruby's speed, she usually finished her tasks before everyone else, it once became a competition between her and Nora who could finish their tasks first. Ren and Oscar were the ones to deny the girls profoundly after the first several times caused damage, in the many bowls and plates they needed to replace and walls that needed to be patched up.

But this time, Oscar had pushed her away, once she had set the table to pout at him.  
"Nope. No, don't give me that look," Oscar demanded as he pushed her from the kitchen. "Go read your comics or something," Oscar told her.  
Ruby had found him pushing her profoundly hilarious but hadn't resisted in fear she'd hurt him since she was still taller than him. "How'd you know…?" She questioned.  
"Nope. Don't ask. Just go. I'll call you." Oscar demanded, pointing to the stairs that lead to upstairs, towards their room.  
Ruby stalled when she saw his expression, and she really couldn't take him seriously. He wasn't exactly angry at her, nor was he firm. She doubted the boy could, not if the situation wasn't dire.  
He really needed to stop being adorable.  
It was really starting to affect her.

Ruby held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Fine. I'll go do _girly stuff_." She told him.  
Ruby nearly snorted in amusement when she saw him stall.  
Yep. He needed to stop that. He was blushing. _At her_.  
Not good. Who was she kidding? _It was_ _ **totally**_ _good._  
"Yep. Uh-huh. Go." He was able to manage.  
She needed to stop terrorizing him too. _Or_ she needed to see that boy blush because of her again.  
Either way.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** Up Next: The guarding of the Vault takes a turn for the worse. And don't say I didn't warn you.


	17. Part 3 - Chapter 17

**Summary:** No one was really surprised when guarding the Vault turns up a villain or two.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** So I am kinda late posting this, but I wasn't able to write or edit due to my nerve pain in my shoulder acting up. Apparently writing nearly 300 pages wakes up old wounds.  
So, yeah. That happened.  
Still a big props to BloomingLight!

/

* * *

/

 _In the_ _calmness,_ _only one drop has fallen that surges in spreading ripples at the bottom of the well. Cold blasting wind that rocks the whooshing forest of my heart. If we could have only…co-existed like that. Everybody would listen to the quiet voice of this forest and shed tears over the noise. In this_ _forest,_ _the clamouring never ends yet ends with silence. Please bring back the peaceful time to calm my beating heart. In this_ _forest,_ _the clamouring never ends yet ends with silence. Please bring back the peaceful time to calm my beating heart…_

 _— Kokia_

 _Other music  
Ivan Torrent — TH3 AWAK3N1NG  
PostHaste Music — Pulse (Jonathan Geer)_

Part 3 – Chapter 17

Ruby and Oscar set out just before sunset for their shift to guard the vault.  
"Okay, so how does this work?" Ruby asked as they walked towards the academy.  
Oscar looked at her. "How do you mean?" He questioned.  
"You know, not being seen by Lionheart while we're there. I doubt we can sit in the middle of the hall and play Remnant." Ruby said sarcastically.  
Oscar chuckled. "No. No, I don't think that would work for us, seeing as I'm not supposed to be there at all. Since I'm a _concerned citizen_." Oscar told her.

Ruby gave him a look.  
"So…?" She asked again, not really knowing why Oscar brought his backpack with him since she wasn't around when he packed it.  
"We'll need to get there first, Miss Ruby." Oscar told her.  
Ruby just grumbled at him, causing him to laugh.

They snuck into the Great Hall, and unsurprisingly, no one was there to greet them.  
"Okay. Now what?" Ruby hissed.  
Oscar looked at her then point outwards. "See the roof balustrades?" Oscar questioned.  
Ruby looked out and nodded. "Yeah. What about them?" She asked.  
"We can sit up there." Oscar noted, pointing to the balustrade directly above on the other side of the room, where they could see anyone come in or out to access the Maiden statue.  
Ruby understood, gathering Oscar to her, she raced up to the structure.

./.

Only a few hours in, and Ruby had yawned, making Oscar chuckle.  
"Would you feel better if we went in shifts?" He asked, knowing she wasn't exactly used to night watching without being on the move.  
Ruby looked at him. "You don't mind?" She asked.  
Oscar shook his head. "I'll wake you." Oscar told her.  
"Thanks!" She said gratefully and set herself against Oscar's bag and took a nap.

Closer to midnight, Ruby was dead bored. All she could hear were the crickets chirping, and nothing else, there was no activity, Grimm or otherwise. No one had come into the room. Since it was her turn to keep watch, she was finding it incredibly hard too. Not because she was tired anymore, but because Oscar was next to her, adorably _asleep_.  
She lost her battle, and her attention turned towards him to regard him quietly. He usually woke up before her, so she hardly ever saw him asleep.  
As Ruby gazed, she was reminded then how young Oscar actually was, and the sacrifices the boy was making every day just by trusting her. He had to have a huge amount of it, to stand next to her, even more, when she accidentally hurt him. She hadn't forgotten.  
They really were too young for all of this, ideally.  
But Ruby had made her choice, as had Oscar, to see this through to the end. No matter how that ended.  
Ruby did hope that at the end of all this, that both of them were still alive so she could poke him and go _I told you so!_ when Salem was defeated by other means then just her Silver eyes.

But damn was she getting hungry. She would need to remember that for the next night watch – these things were long, and they were _boring_. And she couldn't very well stare at Oscar all the time. Well, she could, but she doubted he'd stay asleep for too long with her staring at him. Even now he was stirring.  
"Miss Ruby?" He voiced, waking a little.  
"It's alright, Oscar, there's nothing wrong." She hurried to assure.  
Oscar sat up tiredly and wildly grasped around for her scroll. She watched silently as he unlocked it to see the time. "Midnight." He muttered.  
Ruby just groaned quietly. They still had ages!

Her stomach demanded attention, and it made Oscar chuckle, but reach for his bag to pull out a container.  
"Here!" He told her, handing over the container.  
Ruby blinked in confusion but opened it up, only to reveal cookies, much to her glee.  
"I adore you." She muttered reverently.  
Oscar blinked at her, as if startled by her, but then laughed quietly.  
Had he known he'd get that response, he would have done it sooner.

/

* * *

/

Nothing had happened, as Oscar hoped. But that didn't mean it wasn't boring. Both Oscar and Ruby had packed up and left as soon as the sun's rays shone through the top windows.

They trudged back to the compound, Ruby immediately to the stairs, to go to bed, while Oscar headed for the kitchen to flip the kettle on.  
His mind was half dead with a need for sleep, but he could wait until he had something to drink first. Oscar knew it was too early for just about anything, so while the kettle boiled he found the notepad and took out his pen from his pocket, and wrote:

 _Nothing happened, going to bed.  
I will freeze anyone who decides to wake me needlessly._

 _OP+RR_

And stuck the note on the fridge by the time the kettle boiled and paid no more mind to it as he went about getting his mug of hot chocolate before he woke too much.  
Oscar yawned as he made his way upstairs, kicking the door shut with his foot and with his free hand picked up Ruby's cloak to hang it back up on its hook, he made his way to set his mug down. He shut the curtain seeing as Ruby hadn't. Then decided to get some sleep himself.

./.

It was midday before either of them stirred because of hunger.  
Oscar pawed sleep away from one eye and shot out his other to intercept Ruby's throwing arm subconsciously.  
"What time is it?" Ruby asked tiredly.  
Oscar gave out an uncertain sound, before leaning over her to try and find her scroll on the bedside.  
Once he grasped it to turn it on. "It's lunchtime." He noted as he sat up out of her way.  
"Hungry…" Ruby noted with a yawn.  
"You can't have cookies for lunch." Oscar told her.  
Ruby whined at him.

They made their way downstairs, noting the compound was silent. Yang and Blake should have been around somewhere.  
Ruby went about getting bowls while Oscar raided the fridge, noting the added notes on the fridge, surrounding his own from the previous day that he hadn't cared for at sunrise:

 _Store_ _didn't have extra milk, they said their shipment is due later.  
BB_

 _WHY HAVE WE RUN OUT OF TISSUES?!  
NV_

 _Store_ _is restocking red dust ammo + elemental dust and crystals by the end of the week.  
Bought out lightning ammo since we were low.  
JA+PN_

How did you guys not die of boredom? This town is boring!  
YXL

Why are you guys like this?

Seeing the Qrow's undistinguishable, unmarked scribble, Oscar snickered it was almost as if he could hear the old bird groaning in dismay. Taking note of the post-its, he noted that he and Ruby would need to take note of the post-its regarding supplies for their run. Since it was their chore.  
The fridge was normally the casualty for post-its since they all left some type of memo on it somewhere for the others to see and regard. It made it an easier system for each covering group for whatever chore they were doing, and not doing digging through the house trying to list what everyone needed for the next few days.

But the other newer post-it notes on the fridge had Oscar's eye twitching.

 _WE STILL DON'T HAVE TISSUES!  
NV_

"The hell is that girl doing with them?" Oscar asked.  
Ruby choked on her cereal, and Oscar eyed her suspiciously. "Don't change Oscar." She told him once she could breathe.  
Oscar stared at her incredulously and in a rising confusion.

 _Ran out of milk.  
BB_

Oscar eyed Ruby. "How are you eating cereal with no milk?" He asked.  
Ruby shrugged. "Dry? I felt like cereal." She said noncommittedly.  
Oscar sighed as he took that note with along with Nora's to scan for other notes about supplies.

 _Need alcohol._

Oscar got out his pen to curse at Qrow and tell him where he could shove his remaining alcohol. He would know what the word meant.

 _Watch out for bandits Day Watchers!  
YXL_

Oscar walked over to the pantry and noted what else they needed.  
"You want anything, Miss Ruby?" He asked as he wrote down what they low on.  
"Cookies!" Ruby insisted enthusiastically.  
"Already on the list." Oscar told her.  
Ruby gave a shrug. "Dunno, then!" She replied and went back to her breakfast.  
Oscar sighed, putting his list away and went over to the fridge. "Miss Ruby don't forget your scythe or your scroll, please." Oscar reminded.  
Ruby gave him a salute and exploded into flower petals that raced out the room.  
Oscar just sighed again and went about cleaning up her bowl.

./.

He was sure the supplier looked up to see them and paled when he recognised who they were. Oscar wandered if he did this for every pair of their group. He doubted Ruby could be much worse than Nora.  
"The…The shipment hasn't come in yet…He said he'd be here in an hour…" The shop-keep told them nervously as if he was wary they'd take their weapons and impale him.  
Oscar nodded "Sure! We'll be back after that!" He said brightly.  
He swore the poor civilian gulped.

Oscar watched as Ruby skipped in front of him as carefree as she could be with her folded scythe on visible display. He paused when he heard one of his pockets hum out, and he recalled that Ruby had given her scroll to him.  
"Miss Ruby!" Oscar said as he stalled to pull the scroll out and answer.  
" _Hey!_ " Came Pyrrha's voice.  
"Miss Nikos?" Oscar questioned as Ruby came back to him. She…was on Day Sentry if he recalled.  
" _Oh, it's Oscar. You and Ruby are on Restocking, correct?_ " Pyrrha asked.  
"We are. What's wrong?" Oscar questioned.  
" _Jaune and I are on Day Watch. Where are you two currently?_ " Pyrrha continued to ask.  
Oscar blinked and looked around. "At the markets." He told her.  
" _Oh, good, you're on the other side of the city, pretty sure we overheard some people saying this gang were gonna rob the place. The male we caught won't tell us anything. Keep an eye out 'til we get there?_ " She asked.  
"Sure. We aren't doing anything for a while!" Oscar told.

./.

Keeping an active eye out as they moved through stalls as they waited for the grocers to restock. Ruby kept closer to Oscar, who didn't mind. They made a point to keep an eye on the emotions of the civilians around them to gauge what they knew. Seeing they were calm, there wasn't anything they were missing.  
Suddenly, both Pyrrha and Jaune dropped from the sky.  
"Yo!" Jaune greeted with a happy salute.  
"Sorry we took so long we needed to hand the guy we apprehended to the Mistral Police." Pyrrha noted.  
Oscar nodded. "That's fine. We had to wait for the grocer anyway. Nothing's happened yet." Oscar reported.

"Call us if you need help!" Ruby said, waving goodbye.  
"We'll keep in touch!" Pyrrha responded as Jaune waved.  
With that, both Oscar and Ruby made their way back to the grocer, their hour up spent wandering the market, picking up several items their peers had asked for while there.  
The vendor still looked as if he was scared out of his wits.

/

* * *

/

Ruby was sure she wanted to throw her scroll against the wall when it woke her before she was ready. She felt the bed moving, so Oscar was already awake and going about getting up.  
"You should wake up now if you wanna eat before we go." Oscar told her.  
Yep. That pretty much ensured she got up for the day.

Oscar was the usual one who paid attention to the post-it notes on the fridge.  
"Anything for us?" Ruby asked, thankful to have milk back.  
Oscar nodded as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate. "Miss Nikos has a warning for the bandit she and Jaune intercepted, to be on the lookout for the gang, they wear black armbands." Oscar noted.  
Ruby sided her head. "Are they dangerous?" She asked.  
Oscar looked up from the note. "They didn't say, so I would assume if only provoked." Oscar said, coming back over from the fridge to sit next to her to eat.

./.

The main difference between day and night watch was that during the day, the pair needed to interact with the civilians as well as the MPD, who patrolled both times the pairs did. They were fully aware of any alarms that were tripped in the future, were not drills. They were just glad to have Huntsmen working alongside them since they hadn't had any patrol with them for a while before they came into Mistral. And Day watch had more light, which was obvious. While Oscar and Ruby liked being in pairs, they both hated talking to strangers equally.

"Your turn." Oscar noted, pointing to the next civilian on their round.  
Ruby paled. "Nuh-huh. I took the one back there!" She insisted.  
Oscar looked at her and shrugged. "Well, okay then, I guess all the weapon jargon will go over my head then." Oscar said, seeing the caravan the civilian had.  
"Never mind!" Ruby said and was suddenly racing over to the civilian.  
Who had a heart attack at being rushed at.  
"Hi!" She greeted loudly and bubbly while dancing on her toes, then pointed at a weapon, and Oscar was lost in a sea of words and explanations. At least the vendor seemed to understand her.

Oscar just took out Ruby's scroll, unlocked it to find the messaging profile to send a message to both Nora and Ren, who had restocking ammo the next day that the vendor was in town.  
"Miss Ruby," Oscar called. This got Ruby's attention, and she stalled in her speech. "Is there anything I should tell Miss Valkyrie about the vendor, so she can drag Mister Ren with her tomorrow?" Oscar asked, praying she would use simple words.  
The vendor lit up at the prospect of a sale.  
Ruby just looked thoughtful, then to the vendor. "What ammo have you got?" She questioned.  
The man was quick to show them.  
By the end of it, he would be out of stock, but heavy in lien by tomorrow, if Oscar could judge the list Ruby compiled on her phone to Nora.  
Oscar just hoped they didn't wake the pair with Ruby's enthusiasm.

./.

They took their break at lunchtime for a little rest from walking and talking so they could eat.  
"We still have half the main city to look out for yeah?" Ruby noted around her chopsticks.  
Oscar nodded. "Yep. At the moment the police are there, so they'll notify us if they see anything when we see them in passing the station. They were informed yesterday about the gang." Oscar told her.  
"Uncle Qrow'll tell us if he sees anything in the lower levels, too." Ruby added, seeing as poor Weiss had drawn the shorter stick, and was put with Qrow, they were stuck with each other. Unfortunately for the both of them.  
Oscar gave a light chuckle in humour at that.

Ruby's scroll gave a little chime to remind them lunch was over, Ruby got up to collect the bowls to give back to the vendor. Leaving Oscar to pick the scroll up and put it in his pocket. It sat with their shared lien cards and her extra ammo clips and elemental dust clips. Half of which she had probably forgotten she had given to him at some point, until she needed it, that is.  
"Come on," Ruby started as she came back. "We better go talk to the station." She added with a groan.  
"It's my turn, so why are you groaning?" Oscar asked as they left the store.  
"Because I still gotta be there, Oscar!" She retorted, making him laugh.

/

* * *

/

They hadn't found the bandits at large but they put a post-it note on the fridge to warn Qrow about them once they got home before they went to bed. If anything, he would be bound to find them.

Oscar knew the table wasn't the exact place to finish up the roughing of his staff, but he hated doing it outdoors since Ruby was bound to follow him.  
…And he kinda didn't want her anywhere near the ledge.  
Twice was karma enough. He didn't need a third to push his luck, not with Qrow around.  
Ruby was spacing between what she usually did on her days off — napping, reading, or tuning Crescent Rose. All of which she normally did at a stone's throw away from Oscar.  
So, it was no longer a surprise to Oscar when she lent her chin against his shoulder, announcing her presence. "You've finished roughing!" Ruby told him, seeing the now smooth-all-over wood. "No more splinters!" She added, seeing as the one time she reacted to a nearby Grimm was to take his staff and whack it one, it only took her one time, but the wood decided to make itself a home under her skin. Since then she hadn't impulsively reacted and grasped it willy-nilly.  
Oscar turned his head to her and grinned. "No more splinters!" He echoed gratefully.  
He had been the one to take it out since Qrow made himself scarce at the time.  
Bastard.

Ruby sat next to him, almost with giddy joy.  
"Whatcha gonna do with it now?" She asked.  
Oscar regarded her. "Well, that depends on our dust reserves, and how much lien we can spare…it might be hard to spare dust on it if we're low on either." Oscar told her.  
Ruby looked at him repulsively. "Oscar, this isn't a weapon, it's a stick." She told him.  
Oscar blinked, then burst out laughing.  
It may be a stick, but that didn't mean it wasn't a weapon.  
Ruby stood up. "Let's see our dust reserves!" She said, then grasped the staff, and his hand and raced out the room.

Opening up the dust reserves, was always like making sure they didn't trip off a bomb.  
"Might as well categorise what we need while we're here." Oscar muttered.  
He doubted they would have reserves of the dust he preferred, should he use any.  
Ruby nodded and took a side of the reserves to catalogue.  
"We should see about that shipment of fire ammo, we're running low." Ruby noted, noting the red dust reserves were low and remembering the note Weiss left.  
"We should also stock up on all dust since we don't know when Atlas' embargo will affect supply here." Oscar noted.  
Ruby stalled and blinked at Oscar in confusion. "There's a dust embargo?" She questioned.  
Oscar looked at her. "…There should be?" He questioned back.

Ruby shrugged. "So, what do we need?" She asked as she pulled up her scroll to use as her notepad. "Aside from fire." She added.  
Oscar took a minute to think. "We've got Miss Blake and Miss Weiss to note since they use most dust variations with their weapons. Most of us use ammo rounds. Do you still use lightning ammo rounds for Miss Valkyrie?" Oscar asked.  
Ruby nodded. "We've just restocked that." She told him, causing him to nod. "What about you?" She asked.  
Oscar, who had looked over the reserves, noted that the dust elements he had memories of mainly using were not a part of the reserves. "They're not stocked, …maybe they are hard to find?" Oscar ended up questioning.  
Ruby sided her head. "We just need to check the dust store when we go next!" She encouraged.  
Oscar laughed. "That's true!" He replied happily.

./.

Oscar was tapping his fingers against the table as he let his thoughts jump around in his head, since it wasn't dire, but he did have several things on his mind, ranging from imbuing his staff with dust, to what to pack the next time he and Ruby were out in the field at night in the next few days… Oscar sided his head and looked around. None of the other pairs were back yet.  
"Ruby…?" He questioned, standing up, suddenly not seeing her, had she told him she was going to do something?  
Maybe he hadn't heard her.  
He did need to ask if her likeness for strawberries was passed onto her. If so, he could pack them, since they were better than straight up cookies.  
Perhaps she was in her room?

He pulled his head through his bow-string, and headed up the stairs, looking around for Ruby as he did.  
Their door was ajar, so he pushed it open.  
The door creaked noisily open, and he was left to see her without much clothes on.  
And everything stalled.  
Her hair was wet. Wet? Yeah, wet. Shower?  
Ruby screamed. " _Oscar!_ "  
So did he, as he scrambled to shut the door. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Why did you walk in!" She yelled through the closed door, hurrying to put her clothes on.  
"Why did you leave it open!" He yelled back, his face red.  
"…I did?" She questioned.  
"Yes! So I thought it was okay." Oscar told her.

The door moved, and Oscar hid his face with his hands.  
"I'm not looking!" He cried.  
Ruby giggled at his response. "I'm dressed, Oscar." She told him, and he didn't see her triumphant grin at his actions as if she had just won the lottery.  
Not as if he believed her, he peeked through his fingers and it made her chortle and pull his hands away from his face to see it was red.  
"You're still not!" Oscar insisted through a stutter. "Where's your cloak?!" He asked.  
From where her corset covered her chest, to her armlets, she wore absolutely _nothing_. There was no undershirt.  
"It's on its hook, don't worry, I said I was dressed!" Ruby insisted.  
Oscar stalled again at the information.  
Yep. He was never going to be able to look at her properly _ever_ again. Maybe he should hide the cloak more often. Best not, he needed to be able to perform on some level.

"You had a reason for looking for me, I guess?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar mentally pulled himself away from la-la land. "Right. Um. I…I was gonna ask if you liked strawberries?" He tried to ask.  
Ruby blinked. "It's one of my favourite things to eat, why?" She questioned.  
"Seemed like a better thing to pack then cookies for our next steak out." Oscar said.  
Ruby pouted but nodded. "I guess that makes sense!" Ruby said as she bounced on her toes.  
Qrow was so gonna kill him if he ever found out.

/

* * *

/

Oscar nuzzled Ruby's forehead with his own in an attempt to wake her up softly.  
"Miss Ruby?" He asked.  
Ruby gave out a questioning vocal.  
"I've been thinking about what you said." Oscar started.  
Ruby opened one eye to regard him. "'Bout what?" She asked with a yawn.  
"How using dust elements with my staff." Oscar elaborated.  
Ruby looked a little more awake. "Yeah…?" She prompted.  
"…Would you mind if I took today to see if I can find the elements I want to use? You can go back to sleep." Oscar told her.  
Ruby shook her head and sat up. "No. I wanna come with you." Ruby pouted.  
"Don't forget we have Night watch, tonight!" Oscar called as he jumped off the bed to grasp his day clothes. "And I call dibs on the shower!"  
Ruby just grumbled at him in annoyance.

./.

They ended up wandering into an unfamiliar dust store after Oscar couldn't find what he wanted at their usual vendor.  
Everything around them seemed to be dust in its purer form, from cut crystals to crystals that had formed around wood or stone naturally. One purer green rounded crystal formed around a darker pine wood caught Oscar's attention, while Ruby was off flittering around the shop in interest of the cut crystals.  
Oscar held it up to test the weight, it was the only dust crystal he had seen that was in one of the two elements he wanted. The wood was solid, as was the crystal formation. The wood's out layer only had a few natural formed holes, which he could work with. But since he wasn't expecting the crystal he would need a holder to keep both it and staff in place, such a thing could in theory act as both the placement and the hand hilt. All he needed was the necessary equipment.

Oscar wandered the store over to the accessories to try and find what he wanted. Finding one that was a golden colour he noted the engravings also could hold dust, if one knew the craft, as well as be used as a placement for the both ends to meet and not snap as they forged the two ends together.  
Picking the accessory up, he noted the price was way down, in most likelihood no one had known what to do with it. That suited Oscar fine, since he knew how to work it. He took out of the unwanted items box as he went: an imbuing dust etcher pen, a red durable length of string, a silver feather and a metal connecting ring he planned to use as well as he went by to the refined dust containers.

He eyed the containers and the colours of dust, then looked to where Ruby was, racing from one item to the next, gaining the wary attention of the shopkeeper.  
"Miss Ruby?" He questioned, and she immediately stalled and raced over to him.  
"Here!" She saluted.  
Oscar grinned at her. "Do you think you can help me find a vial of green dust particles?" He asked, Ruby nodded and was off to the other side of the table.  
Oscar figured the green would be easier to find than the black purple-tinged one.

"Hey, Oscar?" Ruby called.  
Oscar looked at her. "What's up?" He answered.  
"Does it need to be in a vial? There's a packet, does that help?" Ruby asked.  
"As long as the store sells empty vials, then we're good on that front." Oscar responded.  
"I'll ask!" Ruby said, and then raced over to the shopkeeper.

She came back with a packet of green dust and a few empty vials in a shop basket.  
"This do?" She asked.  
Oscar nodded. "Thanks!" He said and put the rest of his items in once he took the basket from her. "Should only need a few more things." He told her.  
Ruby nodded and was off flittering about the shop again.  
Oscar kept one ear on her, and his eyes looking through the dust stock for the element he wanted.  
He looked up when he heard her give out an awed gasp. "This is pretty." She muttered, holding up what looked like hardened aesthetic wrapping vines. He could use it, and not just because she found them pretty.  
"Here, give them over!" Oscar called. "See if you can find some wood varnish that matches." He asked her.  
Ruby grinned and placed them in the basket before going back to helping.

Oscar finally found the elemental dust he wanted long after Ruby came after with a packet of varnish the same colour as the wood holding the crystal.  
"Done!" He called out to Ruby, so she would know they would be leaving soon.

./.

Ruby was bounding on her toes while Oscar sat at the kitchen table working on finishing his staff since the varnish dried brown he was working the hilt fixture, so he could attach the crystal pommel. Once fixed in place, he left the vine unwrapped, so he could still get at the staff's wood, leaving the golden ring off until the vine could be wrapped around. The metal fixture ended just under the opening he made into the wood which now made a bowstring into the top furthest natural opening in the crystals outer wood with a metal ring connector. The smaller natural opening he threaded through a red hardened string that he tired the silver feather to it, so it dangled and moved about in the wind.  
Seeing so, he tossed the near-weapon to Ruby, who caught it in surprise.  
"Go run and see if it breaks." Oscar asked.  
Ruby stared at him. "…I'd rather not break it!" She insisted.  
Oscar gave her a chuckle. "I need to know if it can handle your speeds, so go for a run." Oscar told her.  
Ruby did so, albeit uneasily.  
It didn't fall apart, so Oscar figured it was a win-win.

./.

Ruby looked at the downpour in wary, it was their turn for the Night watch. Why anyone would try anything tonight was beyond her, and she didn't exactly want to get wet. Ruby looked around for Qrow or Oscar, so either of them could tell her which route they were planning their pair to make. Not seeing them, she figured they were still working on it, she shrugged, and went to get ready, she would need her scythe, which she left in her room.  
She opened the door to their room, and she immediately knew she had karma.  
Oscar had stalled, blinking at her, his hand outstretched to get his shirt.  
And he only had his pants on. _Barely_. As if he had just shimmied into them. His braces were still dangling around his hips. Had she been a minute before—A minute before he wouldn't have had—

Ruby stalled and but managed to turn away. "Um. Yep. Um. Route? Yeah, route. Scythe…?" She was able to say.  
Oscar blinked at her in confusion. "Are you asking about the route we're taking tonight?" He asked.  
He didn't see his words caused her to turn beet red as she nodded.  
"Just a sec, I have it here." Oscar mumbled, and he ruffled through his pant pockets.

"Ah! Here!" Oscar found the folded map.  
Hearing him she looked at him.  
 _And he was still shirtless!_ He was _definitely_ trying to kill her.  
"See if you see any inconsistencies." Oscar was saying as he pulled on his braces without a care in the world what his actions were doing to Ruby.  
She damn well try to find _inconsistencies_ , with _**him**_ maybe. That idea made her choke a little.

Ruby glared at the map, trying to make her eyes stay there as he dressed.  
"Are we—are we breaking at the high walkway?" Ruby questioned, hating her stutter.  
Her face went a darker shade when he came in closer, after shuffling on his belts, with a little prompting vocal, which she wasn't about to follow up with.  
She pointed to the circle, which usually meant where the break-in shift was.  
"Ah. Yeah. We're coexisting with the police on this watch, and to keep out of the rain as much as possible." Oscar told her then moved away.  
Ruby tried to breathe when he finally had his shirt on. Not as if the image of his unbuttoned pants weren't gonna visit her sleeping hours.  
Ruby may have learnt her lesson about leaving her scythe behind.  
Oscar may have later realised her jittery red-faced response was actually to him shirtless, and he didn't exactly know how to handle such information. Aside from seeing if he could reproduce the response, maybe. If she didn't kill him the second time.

./.

Oscar brought along the dust sketcher and the vials of both dust elements on their Night watch duty. Most times they were sitting about in known areas of mischief, waiting for something to happen alongside the MPD. While he sat at his rest periods he engraved the known (and some not well known) dust symbols into the wood with the sketcher to embed the symbols with the black with the purple-tinged dust. While the engraving on the hilt as filled in with the green dust.

"So!" Ruby started, and she sat down beside him, making Oscar look to her. "What are you doing?" She questioned. She thanked any god still alive that she could still talk to him normally.  
"Imbuing Dust into the wood." He told her, tapping the latest symbol.  
Ruby looked interested. "Huh…" She said curiously. "How many are you gonna do?" She asked.  
"Only a few more." Oscar told her since he was running out of dust and area to start with.

Ruby nodded. "The Police are doing their rounds, and they'll confer with us when they're done!" Ruby commented as she leant back against the support structure of the walkway they were holed up in for their rest, there they still had a good vantage point of inner Mistral, and all the entry points to Haven lit up in the rain. No one was about, but they still kept watch.  
Oscar nodded, to tell he heard her as he sketched the last symbol. "All done!" He told her.  
Ruby looked thrilled as Oscar put away the sketch and found both his knife and the golden slip ring. Putting those aside he wound the vine down, slipping the end around the ring, only to slip the ring onto the wood and tapped it down gently with the butt of his knife.

With that Oscar stood up to work out whacking the air like he normally would his cane to see how the staff would work.  
It worked in a similar way, the only difference was that he needed to compensate for the pommels new weight. Aside from that, it worked exactly the same. Oscar looked to Ruby and tossed it to her.  
"Have a feel." Oscar asked.  
Ruby nodded and went about holding it like she had been taught and striking invisible enemies, while Oscar sat down and back to sentry.

Ruby plopped back down next to him, and gave the staff back, Oscar noted the intense gaze she had looked at him with.  
"So! Whatcha gonna name it?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar gave her a look of deadpan. "Ruby. It's just a staff." He told her.  
Ruby shook her head. "No! It's a weapon! Give it a name!" She told him.  
Oscar slumped, as he thought and stared at the weapon he made. He had imbued it with gravity and wind elemental dust properties. So, wind needed to be a factor in the name. Oscar watched as the silver feather fluttered about in the wind on its red string.  
" _Ventus_ _Silvis_." Oscar muttered, not exactly going to miss out on calling it something that resembled Ruby's eye colour.  
"What does that roughly mean?" Ruby asked curiously.  
"The wind in the forest leaves." Oscar elaborated.  
Ruby gave out an awed vocal. "Sounds cool!" She gushed.  
Oscar wasn't exactly sure if he should be grateful or not that she missed the double meaning.

/

* * *

/

They had come full circle, and their chore for the day was guarding the Vault once again.  
Which did mean they could sleep the day away, which they did thanks to being up the night for Night sentry.

By the time they woke, most of their peers had already woke, left their messages and gone about their chores.  
Oscar could see where messages had been pulled off the fridge, most likely by Jaune or Pyrrha since they had restocking. Everyone else seemed to ignore Nora's death threat and Qrow's quip of a meeting the following day. They must have missed the status report the previous night.

"How are things?" Ruby asked, fetching the hot chocolate mix with her cereal.  
"We missed most of the post-its. So, I assume since your scroll didn't wake us up, that nothing has gone wrong." Oscar told her, taking the mixture from her so he could fix up two mugs.  
"Are you worried?" Ruby asked as she sat down with her breakfast.  
Oscar sighed. "It's not as if I want something to happen, it's just that…nothing has happened when I know something will." Oscar tried to explain.  
Ruby nodded empathetically, she understood that sentiment well. They all did.

For Night watch, the pair needed to provide their own snacks and meals.  
Oscar looked to Ruby who was finishing up eating.  
"Want me to pack strawberries for tonight?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded. "And anything else that will keep us awake, and not playing Remnant again!" Ruby laughed.  
Qrow had a field day when he found out. He took the game away, too.

./.

Vault guarding was as they remembered it, _boring_.  
"So, I don't think I've asked you, but what actually is your Semblance, if you don't mind me asking." Ruby asked.  
Oscar gave thought. "I'm not sure how to explain…" He gave a minute. "It's…similar to Miss Nikos, yet not." Ruby sided her head as she listened. "In a certain area around me, I can suspend matter that is elevated in the air for a duration. That matter can be human or inanimate, but for it to work, it needs to be in the air at the time, and in my area. If it's touching the floor, or outside my range, it won't work. …Does that make sense?" He ended up questioning.  
Ruby gave out a vocalisation of her understanding. "So that's why you imbued air and gravity!" She said, happy to figure out why he chose only those two similar elements.

Oscar stalled her when he heard something.  
"Hold up," He muttered, hearing the unusual clanging that rung out.  
Ruby immediately quietened and grasped her scythe noting Oscar went to hold his staff.

They both hid behind the pillar when they saw at least three shadows walk in the room.  
All of whom they recognised. "Didn't she say there'd be guards?" A female hissed.  
"And you've just alerted them that we're here. Well done." A male responded sarcastically.  
"Quiet!" Another female hissed.  
The door underneath them opened, and they watched as Leonardo scampered out nervously.  
Oscar nudged Ruby. "We need to get to the middle of the room." He whispered.  
"When?" Ruby asked.  
"I'll tell you." Oscar said.  
Ruby quietly pulled Oscar onto her back and waited.

"Open the path to the vault, Leo! Before they all realise we're here if they're not already alerted to the White Fang being here!" Cinder hissed.  
"The White Fang is here?" Ruby asked worriedly.  
Oscar ruffled about on her back to reach for her scroll in one of his pockets. "I'll tell Qrow, he's on night watch." Oscar muttered back.  
"Tell the rest I'll come get them as well!" Ruby hissed.  
"On it." Oscar told her, already forming a group message, before placing the device on silent so it wouldn't give them away.

Leonardo was at the statue below them, and he was the first to be puzzled when his device hadn't worked. "It's—It's not unlocking…" Leonardo stuttered nervously.  
"What do you mean?" Cinder asked, coming in to inspect, bring Emerald and Mercury with her.  
"Now!" Oscar hissed. "Land in the middle where the staircases meet!" He told her.  
Ruby nodded and raced off as a trail of red petals silently to not catch their eye.

Ruby landed where Oscar told her to, and let the boy off her back, once he was off, she immediately left through the open window.  
"Sorry!" Oscar called, making the four in front of him flinch and turn to him. "You'll find that door is closed!" Oscar told them civilly, and very actively, pressed the button in the floor with his boot. "And you'll also find now that everyone now knows you and the White Fang are here!" Oscar continued dangerously.

/

* * *

A/N: _Up Next:_ Those few villains fight back, Hazel doesn't take kindly to Oscar, when he mentions his sister.


	18. Part 3 - Chapter 18

**Summary:** Those few villains fight back, Hazel doesn't take kindly to Oscar, when he mentions his sister. And I get an excuse to yell "Rose Garden!" with probable cause.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** So, this was meant to come out yesterday(?) but I plea sickness that I've been struck with since Thursday, and still kinda have, and I mad that its making me miss school and all the things I want to be able to do with how much limited time I can have before I get exhausted and/or run out of breath to do those things in.  
So, I guess for, now, this (and my unfinished Oscar plushie that will forever stare into my soul until he has attached arms) will need to take a backburner until I can get better.

Still a big huge thank you to Blooming, who, without being here, we would see this story being lablled "finished" at least 8 chapters previously.

/

* * *

/

 _Lights out times up to make the call. Man-up own up to what you are. Save them through your conviction. Some choose to see when some won't. See past the laws that they hold on to use for their desire. It's all up to you. So, do what you do. Destroyed by love to be built by this hatred. That makes or breaks these choices you've held on to, so, feel the leap of faith taking you over. Embrace your fear as you get closer. Keeping your composure. In the_ _end,_ _you know what you'll have to do. In the end_ _,_ _it'll all come back to you. Better wake up. When you break out. Arise out, the moment has begun. Man-up it's time to face the gun. Save them through your conviction.  
— yosh & Hiroyuki Sawano_

Other Music:  
 _Aimee Blackschleger & Hiroyuki Sawano — Layers  
Christian Reindl — Claim Your Weapons_

Part 3 – Chapter 18

 _Ruby landed where Oscar told her to, and let the boy off her back, once he was off, she immediately left him through the open window, to gather their group, seeing his nod.  
"Sorry!" Oscar called, making the four in front of them flinch and turn to them. "You'll find that door is closed!" Oscar told them, and very actively, pressed the button_ _in_ _the floor. "And you'll find now everyone knows you and the White Fang is here!" Oscar continued dangerously, taking up Ventus Silvis in his hand threatening._

They all stared at him.  
Emerald and Mercury looked at each other in confusion as to why a lone child was calling them out. Leonardo was still as confused why nothing was working, that there was a button, in the floor, that he hadn't known about, while Cinder had that smirk on her face that Oscar vividly remembered wanting to smack off her face in his previous incarnation.  
"You must either be very brave or extremely stupid to be here alone." Cinder sneered.

Oscar shrugged. "I dunno, I'm still trying to figure out why you think you can get into a Vault you're not designated to be able to open." Oscar told her.  
That surprised them.  
"And I'm not alone." Oscar added when he saw a single red petal out of the corner of his eye.  
Then came the nine extremely armed other individuals that appeared out of apparent thin air. Ruby reformed back at Oscar's side, causing Cinder to flinch when she saw her.  
"So, yeah, if you could tell me that, maybe I'd understand." Oscar continued, bring Silvis down in an arch aside himself angrily.

"What do we do? What has that button that boy pressed done?" Emerald asked nervously, seeing how many there were, not counting Ruby, who she deemed most hazardous out of the lot.  
Cinder looked to a backing away Leonardo, who shook his head. "Fight, you coward." She hissed at him.  
Leonardo looked as if he was about to faint but readied his weapon all the same.

From behind them, the academy doors opened to let in a man that made them all look.  
" _Oh no_ …" Seeing the man enter caused Oscar's heart to sink.

Hazel walked into the hall. "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. _No one's getting in, and no one's getting out_." He stated.

Cinder looked pissed. "They're already inside!" She yelled.  
Hazel didn't exactly look fazed. "So fix it." He said deadpanned, standing idle.  
Cinder growled.

"Leo!" Qrow yelled. "What have you done! Why did you let them in!" He continued, now that he had confirmation, he wanted the answers to the questions he's had for a long time.  
"Aw," Cinder cooed in dripping poisoned sarcasm. "Don't you worry your little head about it, little bird. He's been feeding us information for a long time. Why, getting us into the Vytal festival was a _real_ treat." Cinder continued.  
Many of them flinched. While Cinder may have met opposition at the Fall of Beacon, it was only because of mitigating circumstances she couldn't do worse: A whole scenario that didn't involve all of their friends being present now.  
"It was you. It was always you." Qrow murmured.  
Oscar gave him a glance. Qrow had known previously, but it hurt both of them equally still.

"Enough of this!" Cinder finally snapped and materialised a fire sword, launched after Pyrrha. Jaune quickly acted alongside Pyrrha and both used their shields to counteract the assault.  
"Jaune! Pyrrha!" Ruby yelled, and went to help, but getting Crescent Rose pulled in by one of Emerald's extended chain-sickles. Ruby had no choice but to forcibly be led to Emerald in a second.  
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted racing to help her leader, warding off gunfire with her glyph's as she helped Ruby up.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled, seeing her sister get pulled away, but needing to block a roundhouse kick from Mercury.  
"Hey, there, Blondie!" He started, making Yang growl. "I think you owe me an apology for my leg, huh?" He questioned, smirking.  
Not for long as Blake rounded her attached ribbon around one of his legs and yanked.  
"How about you save it?" Blake hissed, catching the man off guard long enough for Yang to punch him one.  
Mercury yelled out and went for both girls.

./.

The room had erupted into such noise and pandemonium that no one could keep track of anyone else, except who was trying to fight them.  
Oscar rounded up one staircase, as Qrow went for the other, both intent on talking to Leonardo.  
Hazel stood by idle, eyeing both Nora and Ren, who readied themselves for him.  
"I don't wish to fight either of you." Hazel remarked.  
"Nor I you." Ren noted, readying his StormFlower.  
"But we will if you're on her side!" Nora yelled.

./.

Leonardo eyed Oscar questioningly.  
"Young man, why are you still here?" Leonardo asked.  
Oscar sided his head. "Nah, here's a better question. Why did you allow Salem into your school?" He parried.  
Leonardo flinched at the question. "How…?" He asked.  
"Answer the question, Leo!" Qrow remarked, making the lion Faunus jump and turn around to Qrow, who was angry, and wielding his sword outwardly.  
"I can't—You don't know…!" Leonardo tried, before growling and activating his weapon quickly taking Qrow by surprise at the multiple attacks, one of which sent him flying out to a side pillar that knocked the man out cold.  
Qrow was sent out of Oscar's reach to bring him back, so the boy yelled out and swapped hands that he held Ventus Silvis in and launched himself at the headmaster and former friend.

Leonardo dodged barely, parrying the familiar attacks and moves by his shield alone, taking several hits to his shoulders and legs.  
"Why bring them down on the school!" Oscar yelled as he dodged an attack to shoot through Leonardo's legs to whack the man at his back, sending the man stumbling backwards. "Why let Cinder in when she can't even get the relic?!" He continued, brandishing Ventus Silvis outwards angrily.  
"How is this possible?" Leonardo questioned, seeing Oscar's stance, his ability, his being, in stark contrast to Ozpin. "How are you doing that? You can't be Ozpin, he's still alive! Who are you?!" He continued, fear now tinging his apprehension and confusion.  
"At the moment? I'm your worst nightmare." Oscar snarled, crouching low and readying to launch himself.

./.

Cinder parried both Jaune and Pyrrha's attacks easily by fire.  
Seeing the fire, the pair jumped backwards defensively.  
Cinder still had that smirk on her face they wished to smack off, could they get close enough.  
Several times that smirk turned into a vicious snarl when she felt Pyrrha forcing the metal design on her open arm backwards off her attacks, that forced her game off and allowed the pair to land hits on her before she regained her momentum.

Cinder, feeling her arm move against her will, launched herself at Pyrrha, and kicked her with enough strength the girl was sent flying into a pillar, momentarily stunning her.  
"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled, and before he could move, Cinder had him on the floor, pinned with a heel, Jaune's weapon just out of his reach.  
"I remember you now." Cinder hissed, heavying her weight on his chest. "You're the failure with a death wish." Cinder noted angrily.

Jaune gave out a pained yelp when she slammed him back into the ground by her heel.  
"You can do what you want with me, the others are the ones that matter." Jaune told her through gritted teeth.  
Cinder looked at him thoughtfully. "Oh, you think so? You're willing to be the sacrifice?" Cinder questioned, back to cooing. She eyed Pyrrha, who was stumbling back to her feet painfully.  
"Let me show you _how wrong you are_." Cinder told him and materialised a mixture of burning metal and fire into a forming throwing lancer.

./.

Every time that Mercury went to land a hit, Blake would wrap her attached ribbon around one of his legs and yanked, that with him off guard, Yang would pummel into him mercilessly that sent him flying.  
Both girls gained ground each time they performed the routine, they nearly had the man backed against a wall.  
"Maybe we should actually break his legs this time 'round." Yang noted.  
Blake looked at her as Mercury got back up and wobbled a little.  
"But he doesn't have those," Blake added.  
Yang sided her head at her partner. "True. How 'bout an arm for an arm?" Yang side, and a snide grin.  
Blake nodded. "That'll work." She said.  
Blake launched Yang back at Mercury, who guarded ultimately falling again into their trap.

./.

Weiss and Ruby coordinated their attacks and were the worst off in their attempts to try and fend of Emerald's attacks with her Semblance.  
Ruby kept making mistakes with how much she couldn't take in, she could barely see Cinder out of the corner of her eye, and she had completely lost where Oscar was.  
Losing him and knowing there was a maiden that could mercilessly willingly kill any of them was fraying what was left of her worried frightened nerves.  
"Why are you doing this?" Ruby yelled out from behind Weiss' protective glyph which reflected off gunfire from Emerald. "Why are you helping Salem?! What do you get out of it?!" Ruby asked.

Emerald launched herself around the glyph, kicking Weiss once sending the girl away, and started shooting Ruby again, who deflected them using Crescent Rose.  
"I don't care about any of that! I owe Cinder my life!" Emerald told her. She noted Ruby's eye flicker to Cinder. "You want to fight her that badly?!" Emerald yelled, then suddenly Cinder was launching herself at a defenceless Ruby, who yelped out in fright when the mirage ran towards her and through her.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled, to knock Ruby out of the illusion.  
Ruby brought up Crescent Rose up and launched herself backwards, and away from where Emerald was, and towards Weiss.  
"Thanks, Weiss!" Ruby said gratefully as the heiress got back up and nodded to her leader.  
They both turned back to Emerald, who had her weapons out and launched herself back at them, backing them towards the Maiden statue.

Ruby knew she was running on dangerous emotions, and she knew it wasn't good, she had no idea where Oscar was, and no idea if he was far enough away should she lose control.  
She dodged Emerald's attack, and kept her back to the Maiden statue, and transformed her scythe back down, and caught at the edge of her eyesight something being thrown into a structural pillar.  
She looked properly to see Cinder forming a fire weapon, with one heel keeping Jaune on the floor and taking aim at Pyrrha who was stumbling to get back up.  
"Pyrrha!" Jaune was yelling.

" _You'll have to bear with me, that entire part is hazy, Cinder was there, Pyrrha too. I couldn't get there fast enough! I wasn't able to…! She left all of us!"_

 _No, no! Not again!_ _ **No!**_

Ruby screamed out in all-out terror once something inside her snapped her control, and everything went fearfully white before she was consumed in painful dulling darkness.

/

* * *

/

Pyrrha, hearing Jaune scream at her, looking up to see the weapon heading straight for her, and used her Semblance to knock it away with the metals inside the lancer that came out her lodging itself into a nearby pillar, and she dodge rolled blindly out the way of debris it caused as it speared into it. Pyrrha quickly ran over to Jaune to hauled him up and back away from Cinder once she could see without her eyes giving light shadows across her eyes.

./.

Emerald seeing Ruby, quickly realised what was happening once the girl dropped her weapon and started to scream. She rounded on the girl before the light got worse and whacked Ruby on the back of her head, ending the light show, and knocking Ruby to the floor out cold.  
Emerald spent no more time and looked over to Cinder, who screamed out in pain and collapsed.

./.

Oscar heard Ruby scream and flinched painfully automatically feeling her pain as his own strike through his heart, and deadly knowing that wherever she was in the room, she could be looking in his direction. Oscar quickly jumped around and used Leonardo as a shield, and as soon as the light show was over, Oscar handled Ventus Silvis with both hands and launched Leonardo away, and down the staircases. Oscar no longer cared where the Faunus landed, he raced over to the balustrade as he pulled his staff over his head, seeing Ruby was directly underneath him, he hauled himself over it and dropped down.

"Ruby!" He yelled, racing over to her side, trying to wake her up he moved her, so he could see her face. "Ruby! Wake up!" Oscar asked her, trying to rouse her quickly.  
Nora and Weiss came over to help as well, as Ren stood guard, nervously watching Hazel.  
Jaune and Pyrrha stood ready to fight as Emerald jumped in front of Cinder, she was soon joined by Mercury, who abandoned his fight with Blake and Yang to fight Jaune and Pyrrha alongside Emerald. It wasn't long until Yang and Blake ran over to fight as well.

Leonardo landed against Hazel hard before he fell to the floor panting.  
Hazel looked at the headmaster in confusion, before he hauled him up by the front of his shirt.  
"You're letting that boy make a fool out of you." Hazel snarled.  
"I don't know how, but he knows things he shouldn't! Only things that Ozpin knows!" Leonardo insisted.  
Hazel immediately dropped Leonardo at the name and looked over to Oscar, who was still desperately trying to rouse Ruby.

Ruby groaned out painfully, and she opened her eyes a little to see Oscar looking down at her frantically.  
"Ruby!" He called.  
She gave out a little moan of questioning pain.  
"Is she okay?" Nora asked, knowing Oscar would know in this instance.

Oscar froze when he felt a pair of eyes on him that weren't exactly friendly. He looked up to see Hazel staring at him as if he were a puzzle.  
Absolute dread filled his being at the man looking directly at him.  
"We need to get Miss Ruby away from him." Oscar said frantically, seeing the giant coming.

"I hear you know things you shouldn't, boy." Hazel started.  
Oscar quickly got up and distanced himself from Ruby. "Now!" He yelled at them, as he did.  
He tried to ignore the confused whine Ruby gave out when he left her sight.  
His heart didn't though.  
Oscar didn't need Hazel going after her.

Oscar moved closer to the centre, out of the corner of his eye he could see Weiss and Nora turning Ruby onto her back and trying to help her recover so they could pull her out the way of the fighting. She must have taken a hit prior. Behind him he could hear Yang yelling, Jaune speaking orders and Pyrrha's Semblance working. Qrow was still laid out to the side, his luck making him take longer to recover. All he needed to worry about was the man with a vengeance in front of him.  
Oscar was a tad afraid of him. He could remember Ozpin's hesitance at the man when he first personally met him at the station.

"You look familiar, boy." Hazel told him.  
"Yeah. I get that a lot." Oscar admitted, still taking steps away from Ruby, and Hazel followed like a menacing shadow.  
Hazel glared at him, and Oscar knew he shouldn't have said anything. Damn his mouth, and its ability to rattle off information before his mind sorted through it.

It made Hazel stall.  
"You're on _his_ side?!" Hazel erupted dangerously.  
Oscar blinked, hearing the tone, he immediately brought up Ventus Silvis as if he expected the man to suddenly lunge. "Rather that than the Grimm, in all respect." Oscar noted.  
Hazel suddenly lunged, making Oscar dodge out the way, whacking the man as he rolled.  
"Then your blood will be on his hands! Not mine!" Hazel yelled as he took another swipe.  
Oscar quickly moved back, curling Ventus Silvis around, he stabbed the floor with the pommel end, the entire staff lighting up: Hazel, who was the only one lifted off the now dark glittery ground.

Oscar stood with his bare hand outstretched to keep Hazel in the air.  
"Your sister wouldn't have wanted this!" Oscar yelled.  
Hazel stared at Oscar as he was stilled in the air and _roared_.  
Oscar didn't back down, and quickly shifted Ventus Silvis up his arm, and brought his other arm to support his other to keep the man still in his Semblance.  
" _She wasn't ready_ _ **!**_ " Hazel yelled.  
"She made the decision to be a Huntress! To put others before herself! She knew the risks of doing so!" Oscar yelled back, gritting his teeth as Hazel retaliated, sending him back a step.  
" _She was only a child_ _ **!**_ " Hazel continued to roar and fight against him.  
Oscar grit his teeth against the retaliation trying to refocus solely on Hazel. "So is everyone who've bared your arms at!" Oscar insisted.  
" _She shouldn't have been on that mission_ _ **!**_ " Hazel glared.  
"If it was a mission, then her demise came at the hands of the Grimm, the side _you're on_ , and not the man who is trying to _prevent_ the Grimm, the side you're against!" Oscar retorted in a rant.

Hazel roared out in too far gone anger and Oscar suddenly yelped when his strength ran out, causing him to collapse to his knees, and Hazel to fall to his feet.  
"They're all a part of his child army." Hazel growled, shrugging his coat off, and grasping several yellow pure dust crystals. "Your death will be on his hands." He said, then slammed the crystals into his arms, and lunged.

"Oscar!" Ruby yelled.  
Oscar took the time to blink tiredly, he hadn't known she was up.  
Qrow suddenly appeared and yanked Oscar up and out the way safely.  
Hazel, now focused on Qrow, began his assault on him.

Oscar fell back to his knees and started panting.  
"Oscar!" Ruby yelled, and suddenly she was next to him, with a hand on his shoulder.  
Oscar looked at her. "Miss Ruby?" He asked, laboured.  
Ruby nodded and brought her arms up to let him lean against her. "You okay?" She questioned as she eyed Qrow dealing with Hazel. It didn't seem to be going well, with how many hits Qrow was taking.  
"I should ask you that?" Oscar questioned, not exactly caring he was leaning into her tiredly.  
"I'll be fine!" Ruby insisted.  
Oscar just nodded, not exactly up for verbal banter.

"How do we take the big guy down?" Nora asked.  
"He needs to be at his limit!" Oscar insisted.  
"Wait, he's using lighting dust?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar just nodded tiredly.  
"Nora!" Ruby quickly yelled. "Go!" She urged.  
Nora nodded, with a snide grin, and ran after Hazel alongside Ren.

Hazel, as enraged as he was, swiped at anything that came at him with a weapon.  
Another two children weren't about to change that.  
He launched Qrow up with an enhanced hit, Qrow before he landed hard against the wall, changed into a crow to avoid the hit. Arching in the air, squawking angrily when Leonardo shot at him.  
Ruby stood back up, alongside Oscar, and rounded on herself, to shoot out at Leonardo, who yelped in fright and finally bolted from the room.  
They could all hear both Mercury and Emerald groan in woe, but continued to fight, seeing Hazel not backing down.

Hazel got one good shot in at a worn-down Ren and electrocuted him in the same shot.  
Ren went down unconscious.  
"Ren!" Nora yelled out in concern before Hazel turned his attention to her.  
"This isn't working!" Ruby said, turning to Oscar.  
"Semblance," He stumbled out. "His Semblance can block out his pain!" He shouted to Nora.  
"He'll hurt enough when _ **I break his legs!**_ " Nora yelled and readied her now charged hammer as the man came at her, only to whack him out of the building, destroying some of the building as she bowled him out in the process.

Allowing them to see the White Fang closing around the building.  
" _Bumblebee_!" Ruby yelled.  
Both Blake and Yang looked to Ruby who was pointing outwards at the White Fang.  
Both girls grinned. "With pleasure!" They yelled and bounded out the hall.

Adam was surprised when Blake roundhoused a livid Yang at his face.  
Jaune was another who was surprised that when he pulled Pyrrha out the way he started glowing. Pyrrha, seeing what had happened yanked them both out the way of Mercury's hit.  
Qrow came back and launched himself at Mercury to buy them time, readying his sword for the next, noting that Emerald was encouraging Cinder to wake up.  
Mercury, seeing Qrow, backed up a little.  
"How long are you two going to keep fighting?" Qrow asked.  
Mercury snarled and went after him angrily.

"Okay, so, what's happening with Jaune?" Ruby asked, seeing the one hand Jaune had on Pyrrha's shoulder was glowing, and Pyrrha looked about ready to hug him.  
"Semblance?" Oscar questioned, shrugging.  
"Neat." Nora quipped, sitting next to Ren, patting his back.

They were all stalled when a light, that didn't come from Ruby pierced through the windows.  
"Oh, so _now_ it works!" Oscar grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance.  
Ruby looked at him. "The police?" She questioned.  
Oscar nodded. "They certainly took their time." Oscar said, then took in the situation.

Cinder was starting to come to, with both Mercury and Emerald protecting her, switching which defended and who attacked at random, against Qrow.  
Jaune had finally stopped glowing, and Pyrrha looked better for it, and they readied themselves to attack alongside Qrow, with the man warning them against it, crying his bad luck, so they kept back.  
Pandemonium seemed to now be outside, with a larger crowd attacking the White Fang, with Blake and Yang at the front fighting Adam.  
Hazel had just stabbed more dust into himself, in preparation to keep fighting.

"We need to contain him." Oscar said.  
Weiss nodded and went about readying a summon. From around her, a glyph glittered into life, and feathers poured out as a large Nevermore burst out and headed straight for Hazel, to pierce into his shoulders and yank him back into the hall, away from the Faunus that had crowded around to settle with the White Fang.

./.

Hazel was now preoccupied with a rather larger pissed off bird then Qrow to deal with. He ended up by Emerald and Mercury, fighting the bird off alongside them.  
Ruby ended up grinning when she heard the sound of a Gatling gun from outside. "I know that sound." She said.  
Oscar turned to her. "It seems Miss Adel is here, most likely with her team." Oscar noted, also hearing the loud gun go off.  
"At least Yang and Blake have all the help they need then!" Ruby said happily, twirling her scythe around so it was at her back readily.  
Oscar nodded. "Let's focus on taking on our own tasks, then?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded and turned to Weiss. " _Ice Flower_!" She yelled.  
Weiss readied her glyphs as Ruby positioned to snipe.

Jaune and Pyrrha took up helping cover Nora, Ren and Qrow, who were all exhausted.  
"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked them.  
Nora just gave out the biggest groan, and they left it at that.

The room was suddenly on fire, and not courtesy of a still unconscious Cinder. The fire was enough to banish Weiss' Nevermore, putting Weiss to her exhaustion limit, making her glyphs vanish, as the girl started to pant.  
Ruby looked around to see her peers were worn out, and they were running out of options.  
"Oscar!" She cried.  
Oscar was startled but looked at her.  
" _Rose Garden_!" She cried.

Oscar nodded, and immediately moved Ventus Silvis across his back and under his shoulder blades before Ruby hauled him up and they imploded into rose petals that raced over to the Hazel to whirl around him, lifting him up in a whirlwind of red petals, when the petals had a slightly darker tinge around Hazel, he suddenly froze, as did the petals in their fast pace. Those petals around Hazel lazily came in close and once they lost their colour their fast-paced continued and raced against him and they yanked out the dust crystals in his arms.  
Ruby suddenly flung Oscar out above her, who while in the air readied his staff, and diving down he whacked Hazel down towards the air. As he flew uncontrollably, Ruby raced back up to collect Oscar, before they both appeared at the floor, and with a whirl of both of their weapons, Hazel was thrown to the other side of the room.

Seeing Cinder trying to get back up, Oscar then rounded on Ruby, so she was in front, she moved her hand to the bridge of her nose, then with a concentrated effort let out a stream of light that was focused in their direction, Cinder was immediately put back under.  
"That's enough!" Ruby pointing her gun at both Emerald and Mercury, the only two still standing freely.  
Mercury, realising they were out of options started to back away towards Cinder and Hazel. Cinder was out cold, while Hazel was trying to get his bearings.  
Emerald, gave out a sob, as tears ran down her face.  
"Emerald!" Mercury hissed. "We gotta go!" He added.

Emerald just collapsed to her hands and knees as she sobbed.  
"Emerald!" Mercury hissed in urgency.  
Emerald just gave out a distraught pained cry, and suddenly everything went dark and the lights dimmed red.

As the lights darkened, there was a plume of dark smoke stirring in the middle of the room. As the lights flickered it grew larger and larger until it formed a mass that eventually evolved into a paler faced woman, with black streaks for veins running over her exposed body, with extended fingers, before she opened her Grimm-like eyes, and _screamed_ blue murder, before ghosting into them all.

Ruby, feeling the scream run through her, literally crumbled into herself in terror. Curling into a ball, her ears rang out with the echoes of the woman's pitched scream.  
"—! Ruby!" Someone called.  
…Oscar…?  
"…Ruby! It's okay! You're alright!" Oscar was calling.  
She could feel his gentle fingers on her arms.  
Ruby allowed him to lift her arms, shakily, and to her relief, all she could see was Oscar.  
"It's alright! It was an illusion! She's gone!" Oscar was saying.  
Ruby felt her eyes tear up, and she launched herself at him, hugging him closer.  
"Oscar!" She sobbed out, her terror still making her quiver.  
Oscar was quick to wrap his arms around her, in an attempt to soothe and comfort.

"What was that!?" Nora was yelling.  
"An illusion, a powerful one at that," Oscar started, running his fingers through Ruby's hair to help her calm down.  
Emerald may have shown them all the illusion, but she had focused it all on Ruby while they must have made their escape.  
"Of what?! The devil's nightmare?!" Weiss asked incredulously.  
Oscar shook his head. "No, it was Salem. And an accurate version of her." Oscar told them.  
"Oh, well that's just _perfect_. She's ten feet tall." Nora grumbled.

./.

Oscar helped Ruby to stand to receive Yang and Blake running back into the hall.  
"Ruby!" Yang yelled, seeing her state.  
Ruby gave her a tired nod. "How goes outside?" She questioned.  
Yang was grinning, now she knew Ruby was alright. "We actually had a lot of help!" Yang said, and coming over to Ruby's other side, helped Oscar lift her up. "Come see!" She insisted. "There's people everywhere!" She added.

They could see why Blake and Yang could leave the fight, both teams SSSN and CFVY were about, both loudly fighting the White Fang members, alongside armed Faunus civilians.  
"Where's Taurus?" Oscar question.  
Both girls grumbled. "He got away," Blake muttered guiltily.  
Yang just sighed. "At least I got in several good punches, though." She said  
Blake perked up. "That's good!" She said in relief.

Most of team SSSN, when seeing them stalled to happily wave at them, before moving onto the next White Fang member who hadn't complied happily.  
They looked as if they were having fun, at least. They were coordinating their attacks alongside team CFVY and the armed civilians as well as the police force, joking and laughing as they went.  
There were less and less White Fang members willing to fight, especially after Adam bolted. Most of them had already dropped their weapons.

They all looked to see Coco come up to them.  
"Sorry we arrived a little late, we needed to deal with the Grimm that were starting to pour into the city." She apologised.  
They all stared. "Hell no, I'm just actually glad you're here at all." Ruby insisted.  
"Yeah, how are you here?" Yang asked incredulously.  
"My team were stationed at Menagerie when the uprising started there, and we were able to quell them without much incident, but there was information that put the White Fang against the general populace, which is what you see here. The information said the leader would attack Haven, as so here we are." Coco told them.

Velvet suddenly bounded over to them, excitedly.  
"Blake!" She called, as she did, getting Blake's attention. "I think your mother wanted you!" She called.  
Blake's eyes widened. "My parents are here?!" She yelled before two masses hugged her from behind.  
"Blake!" They yelled happily, causing their daughter to yelp out.  
"That was surprising," Sun said, suddenly appearing, freaking Yang out. "Yo!" He greeted.  
"You've got it backwards!" Weiss hissed, trying to calm her heart down from all the frights she had.

Ruby rounded and looked to both soul weary Qrow and Oscar.  
"So! What now?" She asked.  
Both males just looked at her  
"I have no idea." Oscar remarked helpfully.  
More than just Qrow groaned at him.


	19. Part 4 – Chapter 19

**Summary:** Most try and figure out what to do next, and plans are made for the future for both Haven and Beacon Academies, (while Qrow seriously considers becoming his namesake fulltime).

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 **A/N:** The start of a new part of this story. I think by now I've lost count how many times Qrow has wanted to become a bird fulltime.

Thanks to Blooming who reminded me to update, else wise I would have forgotten. Again.

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/

 _I've tried to leave it all behind me: But I woke up and there they were beside me. And I don't believe it, but I guess it's true, some feelings, they can travel too. Oh, there it is again, sitting on my chest makes it hard to catch my breath. I scramble for the light of change. You're always on my mind. And I never minded being on my own, then something broke in me and I wanted to go home: to be where you are. But even closer to you, you seem so very far! And now I'm reaching out with every note I sing, and I hope it gets to you on some_ _Pacific_ _wind, wraps itself around you and whispers in your ear, tells you that "I miss you and I wish that you were here!" You're disappearing all the time, but I still see you in the light! For you, the shadows fight, and it's beautiful, but there's that tug_ _in_ _the sight: I must stop time_ _travelling_ _, you're always on my mind! We all need something watching over us: be it the_ _falcons_ _, the clouds or the cross and then the sea swept in and left us all speechless.  
— Florence + The Machine_

 _Other music  
Johnathan Young — Unravel  
Nadine Benjamin — Dissidia (NT / Shiva Vocal Ver)_

Part 4 – Chapter 19

RWBY and JPNR were all the more willing to let everyone else run the show while they found their beds and slept until the next day.  
No one held it against them for not doing their assigned chores that day either. Most of them were covered by teams SSSN and CFVY who came along with the Menagerie Faunus to work with the MPD. Alongside with the handover of chores RWBY and JNPR had been doing since they came to Mistral, there was now an inquiry into the many team deaths on missions, as well as the sudden death of the headmaster.

Having the information that the headmaster was killed, most likely murdered, sent the entire Mistral council into disarray and a hunt for a new headmaster in time for the next school semester.  
That, and the hunt for the missing _presumed dead_ other teachers, and students. Hopefully, some were still alive since SSSN were.  
There was some rumour, that aside from the usual intake from Sanctum Academy in the academic year, that the school would formally agree to teach the Menagerie Faunus that were now stationed at Haven if they wanted a formal education, (Since Mistral now had all the room).

Blake still didn't know how her parents got to Mistral, or why they decided they needed to come along in the first place.  
But she was glad they were there all the same.  
Even if they were a tad confused about how her friend and teammate happened to be Weiss. Both of them went quiet when her parents asked their respective reactions to each other.

./.

Oscar really couldn't help staring at Ruby as she slept peacefully. He had a feeling that if she couldn't feel his presence, she wouldn't be as calm or as peaceful.  
It was one the reasons why, that even though Oscar had been awake for a few hours, he hadn't moved, aside from leaning up against his arms to regard her.  
Another reason was that he really didn't want to leave her side either, in fear that he had imagined that she hadn't made it out the battle in one piece. He had been worried about that head wound she had sustained as well, but one of the many medics that had come out of the woodworks had checked her over, and she was apparently fine.  
Not that he didn't trust medics… he just trusted his own eyesight more.  
If she was breathing — that was good enough for him. A heartbeat was also preferable.

Oscar heard Ruby's Scroll vibrate across the bedside table, looking towards it, he leant across Ruby to grasp it before it vibrated across the wood and onto the floor.  
Falling back onto his back, he sacrificed one arm to Ruby, as she wrapped her arms around it, Oscar went about unlocking the device to bring up the messaging profile.

 _Are you awake?_

Since it was posted in the group message, and unsigned, he really had no idea who was asking, or why.

 _Miss Ruby is still asleep,  
is there a problem?  
_ _ _–_ OP_

Oscar took note of the time, and was surprised to see it was already lunchtime, just how long had they slept? Weren't they needed for something? When exactly was that meeting Qrow wanted to do? Was it even going to still be a thing?  
Oscar found he really didn't like not knowing what he was supposed to do. He hadn't been around for the ending of the battle the first time 'round, and _this_ time 'round Ozpin wasn't exactly an ethereal spirit inside his head with all the knowledge.  
Oscar did wonder how the battle would have played out without prior knowledge though.

 _Need to talk about our next steps.  
When do you think Ruby will wake?  
Food will be involved._

Oscar was still trying to figure out who was talking to him, or why they wanted his (and Ruby's opinion), surely there were higher-ups, professionals, who had better opinions then a fifteen-year-old _farmhand_ , hell, even Ruby had a better professional opinion then he did, since she was a Huntress, and he wasn't Ozpin.

 _Do you need me to wake her?  
I could probably get her awake in about half hour if I promise cookies.  
_ _ _–_ OP_

Oscar gave out a stretch tiredly with the movement he got a full eyeful of the sun, the momentarily blinded him, and he grunted out and moved out the way fast. Seeing as he was probably going to be needed soon, for whatever reason, he grasped his pillow for a makeshift him for Ruby to cuddle against while he sat up.

 _No rush, kiddo, just come down when you can.  
Blake's parents are here._

Huh. So, it was Qrow.  
 _…Why the hell was Qrow after_ his _opinion!?_  
Oscar just groaned and took up trying to wake Ruby.  
"Miss Ruby if you are awake and dressed in five minutes, I'll make you cookies." Oscar bartered.  
Oscar had never seen Ruby wake up so fast.  
Nor did he know how he was suddenly outside their room, with its door slamming in his face, with his day clothes in his arms. Ruby was screaming something with excitement.  
Well, okay then.  
It did make him laugh as he made his way towards the bathroom, so he could change appropriately.

./.

Oscar got downstairs before Ruby did and noticed that Blake was off to the side with her parents, Qrow was in one chair, with his face stuck in his Scroll, everyone else didn't seem to be present as he made his way to the kitchen to make himself (and Ruby) a mug of hot chocolate and something to eat.  
While fetching the milk he noted that the fridge's post-it notes were about who had covered what chore from teams SSSN and CFVY, and that they had been given their contact numbers in case they needed to be contacted by the individuals covering their shift.  
It was apparently decided that the Vault still needed to be guarded, he eyed the _do we tell them why_ note against the Vault shift with a little unease because he wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Half of him was in odds that they should, so they could make their own choices about what exactly they were laying their lives down for, and not to tell them, for fear it would be too big for them to feel they were becoming a target.

Oscar gave out a displeased groan, it wasn't for the civilians to guard the school, or even the children to guard the Vault when they didn't know the bigger picture.  
Except the bigger picture was … just too big.  
That big that not even Oscar knew the full extent of how big.  
Sure, if he spent, like, a few days, and fought through multiple headaches, he would probably know. Oscar knew enough that he didn't want to go digging around in the Wizard's memory if he wanted to stay sane. Too many lives and too many deaths.

"Son?" Came an unfamiliar voice, that made Oscar yelp, spin around, and nearly chuck his empty mug at Ghira's startled head.  
Oscar grasped his heart, as he made sure to put the mug down while Ghira put up his hands to offer peace.  
"Sorry, you startled me!" Oscar apologised, having got properly caught up in his mind while waiting for the tell-tale sounds of the kettle boiling.  
"I apologise," Ghira told him.  
It gave Oscar the minute his brain needed to recall all Ozpin had known (does know?) about the Faunus, aside from the fact that he was Blake's father. And he was glad that every second thought didn't make it through his mouth.  
It would probably cause a lot of questions he didn't want to answer how he knew them.

Oscar shook his head.  
"No, I probably should have been paying more attention, considering what happened last night, and all." Oscar told him, as the kettle whistled, allowing Oscar to break eye contact politely to fix the two mugs.  
He heard Ghira chuckling at him. Well, that was fantastic.

"Hey, kid," Qrow started, coming into the kitchen.  
"Hey, Qrow," Oscar responded, setting aside a mug for Ruby, and turning with his own to face both men.  
Oscar regarded Qrow as his head notched to the side in confusion. "So, you wanted something?" He asked.  
Qrow just groaned. "Trying to coordinate nine children is such a pain." He muttered.  
Oscar stared. "I have it on good authority you're a teacher." Oscar stated.  
"I quit for a reason!" Qrow hissed.

It made Oscar grin. "Okay, but what did you actually want?" He asked.  
"I want everyone's opinion on where to go from here." Qrow said, waving his Scroll around, he had probably asked everyone to wake up as well.  
But it did cause Oscar to blink. "Me as well?" He questioned.  
Qrow gave him an odd look. "Of course I want your opinion too." He said, in confusion, as if he couldn't quite understand Oscar's confusion.  
Oscar looked from Qrow to Ghira before going back to Qrow. "But I don't know what'll…?" He started.

Everyone was caught off guard when the room suddenly looked as if a rose bush exploded before it reformed a frowning Ruby at Oscar's side.  
She was frowning at Oscar. "I _really_ hope you know that we value you for more than your experience and memories, right?" She asked, her tone had an edge to it, that was half angry and half offended.  
They all ignored Ghira's confusion for the moment.  
Oscar blinked at her. "Well… Sort of? Maybe? I don't exactly know why my opinion is needed since I'm not exactly a Huntsmen, and I'm kinda fifteen…?" Oscar ended up questioning.  
Ruby just gave out a moan and thumped her fist on top of his head. "No. Just no." She hissed.  
Oscar blinked at her.

"Seriously, kiddo?" Qrow asked, incredulously. "You, yourself, are just as a part of this, as involved as the next person. So, your opinion, whether or not you can act on what you think Ozpin may or may not do, is valid. Understand?" Qrow asked.  
Oscar was looking at Ruby, who understood the look to see if she agreed with Qrow's sentiments, and she nodded to say she did.  
"Uh-huh," Oscar said faintly.  
Ruby was still regarding him. "You promised cookies." She stated.  
Suddenly, everything really didn't matter, and it made Oscar laugh. "I did, but I didn't say when!" He cajoled happily.  
Ruby gave out an offended scream and it made him laugh harder.

./.

By the time the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR woke up, and weren't half asleep, they were an impressive sight of nine nervous children.  
Ghira and Kali had made themselves scarce to check on the other teams working for them in the field which comprised of teams CFVY and SSSN. Blake had a nervous moment when Kali was making motions of protecting _her children_. Plural. Not just her. She didn't think that would end well, or what number of children her mother would actually stop at.

"So," Qrow started, as they all pitched around the main area of the compound where they could all barely sit. Nora seemed happy to sit in Ren's lap in one chair, Ren didn't seem to complain, or, more accurately, knew his complaints wouldn't be heard by his girlfriend in the slightest. On more lounge sat Oscar next to Ruby, who was next to Yang and Blake, across from them, sat Pyrrha with Jaune and Weiss.  
"I think we all deserve a little pat on the back for last night." Qrow added.  
All the children seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at that comment.  
"But while we do that, we do need to discuss what we do now." Qrow told them.

"What we do now?" Nora questioned.  
Qrow nodded. "Yeah, any suggestions? You all may be children, but you've all made the choice be involved, so all of your ideas and suggestions are welcomed." Qrow stated.  
Several of them looked startled that their opinions would matter.  
"Do we know what will happen?" Pyrrha asked.  
Oscar took the time to shake his head. "My memories of the other timeline ended before the battle in the hall started." He told them. "From then on, everything is new." Oscar added, to make sure they understood.  
"Maybe we should focus on what we need to do?" Ruby asked.

Qrow nodded.  
"Well, for starters, Haven needs a new Headmaster." Qrow told them.  
Oscar blinked, falling back to Ozpin's memories to help. "But if Haven's Huntsmen are all dead, or ' _missing_ '…" Oscar stalled, and frowned.  
"Yeah. There lies the problem." Qrow grumbled.  
They were silent, looking between Oscar and Qrow.  
"What makes a headmaster?" Ruby questioned.  
"Ultimately?" Oscar asked her, and she nodded. "Someone who can run the school, confer with the Council body and the other schools, and know the importance of the basement while not pissing any of those involved party members off." Oscar said.  
"Ideally," Qrow grumbled.  
"Given everything that's happened, wouldn't it mean whoever is appointed will need to come from outside of Haven?" Jaune asked.  
Qrow gave out a bark out sardonic laughter.  
But Oscar just sighed. "It will need to be, but doing so, will be seen as an act of aggression on the other Kingdoms, they would see it as whichever the person hails from, having more favour in the grand scheme of things." Oscar explained.  
The children looked at each other in worry.  
"What it actually means is that I need to have a grand long talk with the Mistral Council." Qrow groaned.  
Oscar eyed him. "Make sure they don't see you as favouring Beacon." Oscar noted.  
Qrow just groaned.

"Are we allowed to come with you when you go and talk to them?" Ruby asked nervously.  
Qrow just shrugged. "I'll need to go find them before I'm actually allowed to talk to them. With the Tower down, communication with the other Kingdoms is near impossible." Qrow said.  
"It might be best if we leave Qrow to talk to them. All of us there will seem as if we're pushing the agenda in our favour." Pyrrha noted.  
Jaune looked at her. "And they probably know by now we're from Beacon." Jaune added.  
"They probably do," Qrow grumbled, but then regarded Oscar. "If we do get them to accept outside help for the position, where will it most likely come from?" Qrow asked.

Oscar lent back against the lounge. "Definitely not Atlas." Oscar said after thinking.  
Weiss looked up. "Why not?" She questioned curiously.  
"Atlas has closed its borders for the time being." Oscar told her.  
Aside from Ruby, they all looked at him incredulously. "How do you know this?" Blake asked.  
"Miss Weiss told us so the first time round that Atlas had closed its borders and impeded a dust embargo because of the Fall of Beacon." Oscar said.  
It suddenly made sense why Oscar asked them to buy out dust whenever they came across it.

Qrow then gave out a chuckle. "If Atlas is out, Vacuo is still Vacuo, then it'll fall to Beacon." He said. "How to sound as if we're _not_ favouring Beacon when Beacon's all that'll send someone…" Qrow muttered.  
Oscar regarded him. "You can be a diplomat when you want to be." Oscar told him.  
Qrow glared at him as if he got the underlining meaning, but it made Oscar shrug. "I'll need proof that Atlas has closed their borders." Qrow told him.  
"And they'll surely know it by now." Oscar said.  
Qrow just groaned.

"That aside," Qrow muttered, making the children perk up again. "You guys need to come to a decision on what you want to do next. And where you guys want to go, while I go and talk to the Council." Qrow told them as he stood up. "Let me know when I get back." He said as he walked over to retrieve his weapon that was by the door.  
"Do you know when you'll get back?" Ruby called.  
"Nope." Qrow groaned, then walked out, to leave them to make their decisions.

./.

Qrow leaving left them in silence gave them a minute to think.  
"Okay, so can we speculate where Cinder and that will try to attack next?" Pyrrha asked.  
Jaune grinned as he nodded. "Yeah! That should be where we go!" Jaune added.  
"Cinder still has the Fall Maidens powers. Fall corresponds to Beacon…" Oscar mimicked.  
"So, we should go back to Beacon?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar gave a second, before nodding. "I don't think she'd be fool enough to try again, with a vault she doesn't correspond to. Why she thought she could, is beyond me." Oscar said.  
Ruby snickered. "So back to Beacon?" She asked, looking around at her teammates.  
One by one they all nodded their consent.  
"To Beacon it is!" Oscar said.

"Are we gonna go back to school?" Weiss asked.  
This gave them pause when they remembered they weren't exactly graduated, or even near their final year.  
Oscar gave an uncertain twitch as he looked at them. He wasn't quite sure what would happen to him should they decide to go back to school.  
"Do you think we actually could?" Yang asked, making everyone look to her. "After everything we know, all we've been through, and what we still need to do? Could you stand being in class, knowing that Cinder and Salem are still about?" Yang asked with a frown. Yang looked to Ruby for an answer. "What's your take on this, sis?" She asked, making it abundantly clear that she'd follow whatever decision Ruby made.

Ruby thought for a second, before looking to Oscar.  
"Do you think uncle Qrow and Ozpin will let us continue to fight Grimm and Salem and not attend class until its sorted?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar blinked at her. "That decision is yours and yours alone to make." Oscar told her.  
Ruby looked at him. "I don't think I could sit still knowing what I know now." Ruby told him.  
Oscar sided his head as he regarded her. "It is still your decision Miss Ruby." He told her.  
Blake was another who shook her head. "I don't I could sit still either." She muttered.

"So, we're heading back to Beacon, and not attending school until this mess is sorted out?" Weiss asked.  
Everyone nodded.  
"Okay, but what can we do if we're going up against Salem, or her operatives?" She continued to ask.  
Oscar was the one to flinch.  
"She's not actually ten feet tall, right?" Nora asked, deadpanned.  
"No, she's not." Oscar ended up answering. "But as we are now, we wouldn't stand long against her operatives if they gang up on us, let alone _her_ in person." Oscar told them.

Ruby blinked. "Alright, so what can we do? How do we get stronger?" She asked.  
"The best way will always be to hunt Grimm, with will weaken her in the long run. Before you started out for Mistral, you wouldn't have stood a chance against them, now you'd hopefully would, seeing as we took on Hazel," Oscar looked to Jaune then to Ruby. "As leaders, you two need to make sure your teams in are working order, that each person knows their commands, what they mean, and how to execute them without fail at the drop of a hat." Oscar told the two.  
Both Jaune and Ruby nodded.  
"And as leaders, you need to know the other's commands, so you can work with them and strategize your own to compliment," Oscar added. "I know it's something you've been working on, but you need to continue it so there are no mistakes." Oscar said.  
"Yay. Homework." Nora muttered, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Are we asking Sun, Velvet and their teams to stay here while we go back?" Blake asked.  
Oscar nodded. "Might be best, so they can guard the school." Oscar responded.  
"Do… we tell them why?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar only groaned, making her giggle.

"By the way… do we have enough food to feed at least twelve of us?" Pyrrha asked.  
Nora launched herself into the kitchen and cackled. "NOPE!" She yelled.  
They all looked at each other. "…Who's on restocking?" Ruby yelled to Nora who was still in the kitchen.  
"Restocking is ammo today!" Nora yelled back.  
"Do we have any lien?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar blinked and dove into one pocket for it, taking it out, he noted how much. "We should have enough to buy something." Oscar noted.  
Nora was the loudest in celebrating.

/

* * *

/

By the time Qrow returned they had sourced enough food for them all, they bought extras in case teams SSSN and CFVY came along. Most were grateful that they didn't manage to get a lifetime ban across all of their names because of Nora's behaviour.  
Thankfully.  
When Qrow heard about that, he looked as if all the alcohol in the world wouldn't cure him. Kali and Ghira had returned around the same time, telling Qrow that both teams SSSN and CFVY were staying at a different house, since the one they were in was currently full with both now RWBY, JNPR and Blake's parents. Most of the previously empty dorms were taken up with the Menagerie Faunus who helped, who also said they would continue to help under Ghira's lead as he worked towards unifying all the Faunus with their fellow humans.

All who had made the journey to Haven had realised that the White Fang under Adam was toxic, that he had chased Sienna herself and a few of her guards into hiding when she was tipped off about Adam coming for her. But with her absence allowed Adam to take her spot. And with Adam now fleeing, Ghira retook the spot he formally had before them both.  
"I really hope you can resolve all of that." Weiss had told them.  
Ghira and Kali had taken a second to know that their preconceived notions about her were blown out of the water, even further when Blake beamed at her teammate happily.  
"Yeah! Let us know if we can help!" Yang was yelling from another room.  
She was like a cannon to their beliefs, thankfully.  
They didn't believe that the humans in the room would be able to help but knowing that there were those sympathetic to their cause caused weight to be lifted off their shoulders.

./.

"How was the Council?" Ruby asked once they all managed to finish eating.  
Qrow looked thoughtful. "The Council has recognised that the academy has no Alumni to take Leo's spot, and with their private conversations admitted they would need the other academy's input to who to replace him, at least temporarily, until such a time Haven can be self-sustaining again." Qrow started, reaching for his mug that Oscar had switched out on him without his knowledge.  
"…And?" Ruby prompted.  
"Hang on, kiddo!" Qrow urged that he needed to breathe after all.  
Oscar chuckled at her display of sitting on her hands to make her stop questioning.

Qrow just sighed tiredly. "They know Vacuo won't send anyone in a timely fashion, so they decided to not try them, and they knew about the Atlas border closure dispute as well. Know what they did then?" Qrow asked.  
Oscar looked nervous. "Had you in for favouritism?" He asked, nervously.  
"Even worse! They put it on me to go and fetch the candidate from Beacon!" Qrow groaned in woe.  
"…They didn't even ask you to send a formal request to Ozpin first?" Oscar asked, they could see the frown, as if not to was bad form.  
Qrow chuckled. "I know, right? We all know that Ozpin will most likely send someone, but they don't know him as well as we do. He could very well say no, I mean, Beacon is still unable to recover from the Fall last year." Qrow insisted in annoyance.  
Oscar just sighed and shook his head. "So, you're on a trip and back." He noted.  
Qrow groaned. "And did you guys decide what you're going to do?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded. "We're gonna go back to Beacon once everything here is settled." She told him.  
Qrow hearing this, head-desked, immediately knowing he would need to do the trip twice.  
Just his _luck_.

It was decided that Qrow would leave the following day, and they would leave for Beacon once he returned with someone who could run Haven in time for the restart of term, so the Council administrations wouldn't need to. They would most likely need to act as teachers until said teachers were found or sourced.  
Hopefully.

/

* * *

/

 _Oscar felt too far away.  
Where was he…?  
Was he hurt?!_

" _Oscar! Oscar, where are you!?"_

 _He wasn't replying.  
Why was everything so dark?  
Where was she? She didn't recognise the place._

" _Oscar! Answer me!"_

 _Suddenly Ruby was running, she needed to get to wherever he was.  
Wherever he was, was where she wanted to be.  
Ruby stalled when her boot nearly slipped from underneath her.  
She corrected her standing and looked_ _at_ _the floor.  
Puddles of red.  
Everything was red.  
There was blood everywhere._

Ruby needed to be faster.  
She was running out of time.  
The blood belonged to someone she loved.

She was suddenly running again, the location different, and outside.  
Everything was dull red, swirling in darkness.  
Until her foot snapped something wood-like.  
Looking down, Ruby saw Ventus Silvis in two.  
And Oscar near it.

Ruby was running.  
She couldn't get to him.  
She wasn't as fast as the red puddles that widened in her wake.

" _ **Oscar…!**_ _"_

 _She had run out of time._

"Oscar…?" Ruby whispered as she turned in her bed to look at him. "Are you awake?" She questioned.  
She didn't even know the time, but all she knew is that she couldn't get back to sleep.  
Ruby watched as his nose scrunched up, and his eyes half opened sleepily to regard her.  
"Miss Ruby?" He muttered tiredly.  
Ruby felt guilty for ultimately waking the boy up. "Sorry, Oscar…" She told him.  
Oscar shook his head tiredly and regarded her. "You okay? You normally sleep okay." He murmured tiredly.

"Can't get back to sleep," Ruby told him.  
Oscar yawned, then opened his arms to her, and before the thought registered, she was in his arms as if the offer was only for a limited time.  
She hadn't felt safe since she woke up, but that feeling vanished as he hugged her close.  
"You're alright, Miss Ruby," He told her, murmuring in her hair. "There's nothing chasing you," He told her, nuzzling tiredly into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere." He told her.  
The last sentiment brought tears to swell in her eyes, as she clung to him.  
"Promise?" She asked.

Oscar nuzzled her hair.  
"I promise." He told her. "Wherever you go, I go." He added as he pulled her tighter to him in comfort.  
Ruby had her ear against him in such a way she could hear his heartbeat.  
The steady rhythm was able to banish her feelings over a nightmare she couldn't remember, and as long as that heartbeat had its rhythm, she was able to sleep peacefully.

/

* * *

/

 **A/N:** The journey homeward bound back to Beacon (part 2, I guess?)  
(Blooming I imagine you will make sure you make sure I update this one on time rofl)


	20. Part 4 - Chapter 20

**Summary:** Yang decides the better place to punch things is actually the dojo. Thankfully. Ruby doesn't know how to address Blake's parents and freaks out about it. Ruby and Jaune have homework. One succeeds better at this then the other. Oscar can't deal with Ruby. Stars are a thing. There's a loaded question. Butterflies are a thing, too. Qrow returns and neither Ruby, Yang or Oscar can deal. Nora eats all the cereal. Packing up feat Ruby starting to realise that Oscar carries most of her stuff. They all hate walking. More stars! More missions to get them home.

/

* * *

/

 ** _A/N:_** I know I said I'd do something for Rose Garden week, but this story isn't done, and it's taking over my life, so just take this chapter for my contribution to the Rose Garden week. I did die. I was right on that part, at least.

This was meant to be up loast week, but this site wouldn't let me post!

Also, if you're not new to this story, BloomingLight101, featured on her _**Tumblr**_ , has created awesome designs for both Oscar and Ruby's new outfits, as well as the weapon design for Oscar's _Ventus Silvis_ for you all to enjoy! Still dying from the background Blooming. But yeah, give her all the love because I can't give enough!

On that note, hey! Blooming! It's your next _favourite_ chapter! XD (You're welcome)

/

* * *

/

 _Do you remember when we fell under? Did you expect me to reason with thunder? I still remember when time was frozen: What seemed forever, was just a moment. Hurry up, hurry up — There's no more waiting, we're still worth saving! Feel the light shining in the dark of night: Remember what we forgot, I know it's a long shot but we're bringing it all back! Feel the light shining like the stars tonight. I still remember when things were broken but put together the cracks are closin'. You and I can have it all tonight, so let's bring it back it to light. Now we have another chance to fly. Another chance to make it right.  
— Jennifer Lopez  
_

 _Other music:  
Kiesza — Cannonball  
Vindsvept — The Journey Home_

Part 4 - Chapter 20

Qrow had already left by the time they woke up.  
Yang was the one who tore up the post-it he left when he mentioned that Ghira and Kali were in charge.  
"I'm not a damn baby." Yang had muttered and stalked out.  
Nora was too busy inhaling her cereal to have noticed the note in the first place.  
"How does he mean _in charge_?" Ren asked, but quickly backed down when Yang glared at him and offered his hands up in surrender.  
Oscar and Ruby came in to see Yang stalk out.  
"Uh, okay…?" Oscar asked curiously.  
"Yang?" Ruby called nervously.  
"I need to punch a wall!" Yang told her as she disappeared downstairs.  
At least she was heading for the downstairs dojo, and not an actual wall.

"What's up with Yang?" Ruby questioned as Oscar went over to the kettle.  
"Something about Blake's parents being in charge?" Nora asked, shrugging.  
Both Oscar and Ruby looked at each other in confusion.  
"Why wouldn't they? It's not as if we're of age. And there's a lot of us." Oscar said.  
The rest shrugged. They already guessed it was something best to leave alone, at least until Yang told them more anyway.

"So, are we up for going back to work, or are we having one more day off?" Oscar asked, standing next to Ruby giving her a mug.  
Ren and Nora looked at each other. "What do we need to do?" Ren asked.  
Oscar gave out a half shrug. "I can't say for sure how long Qrow is going to be away, but it may be awhile, so unless you all want to get bored…" Oscar trailed off suggestively.  
Having either Ruby or Nora bored, wasn't exactly in anyone's best interest.  
Ruby looked at him. "You think we'd be allowed on team or paired missions?" She asked.  
Oscar cocked his head. "Probably not paired, but maybe in teams, we'd need to ask Miss Blake's parents." Oscar told them.

Ruby, by then was looking around. "Where are they anyway?" She asked.  
Ren and Nora shrugged. "We haven't seen them since yesterday." Ren told her.  
Oscar looked contemplative. "I'm sure they have a lot to deal with, adding us all to their list probably heavies that load." Oscar said thoughtfully.  
Ruby looked too him. "What do you mean?" She asked.  
Oscar gave a shrug. "I don't pretend to know exactly what's going on, but the Faunus are mostly divided with their ideals." Oscar told her.  
That, they could understand, since what happened with the White Fang, and its double abandonment.  
"Do you think there is anything we can do?" Ruby asked curiously.  
"You might need to ask Miss Blake that." Oscar told her.  
Ruby nodded. "I'll go find her!" She said, then raced out of the room.  
Ren looked at Oscar. "Does…she even know where Blake is?" He questioned.  
Oscar just sighed and held his hands up in defeat.  
Her not knowing wasn't about to stop her though.

./.

It did take Ruby awhile, but she ended up finding all of her teammates plus Blake's parents. Since it was morning they had all gathered in the kitchen, where several people could eat their breakfast, or like Nora, who was on her fifth, could hear and put their input as well.  
Most of the children were nervous about speaking to either Ghira and Kali because they weren't exactly sure of their boundaries, and they didn't want to cross them unknowingly. Yang had come back when Ruby asked her, she did a good job of not sulking or pouting when Ruby mentioned it wasn't their fault Qrow asked them to look after them all. Ruby did understand her sister, since aside from herself and Oscar they were all eighteen, but even Yang conceded at the point Ruby made that Ghira and Kali had more experience than them all put together.

"Sorry to call you out for this…?" Ruby started, and really had no idea how to address either of Blake's parents, formal titles? Less formal titles? By their last name?  
She felt Oscar pat her shoulder when he could sense she had just confused herself.  
Ghira noted nervously that his wife was cooing at Ruby.  
Just how many of these children was she about to adopt?

"You can call me Kali, dear," She told her.  
Ruby gave out a nervous murmur but nodded. "Um…Yeah, uh, I want to ask, since Uncle Qrow left us to you, if it's alright for us to go in pairs or teams back out into the field and do missions. We haven't been able to do them for a while, and since there's more Huntsmen protecting the school and Mistral…" Ruby trailed off. "At least until Uncle Qrow gets back, because we really don't have anything to do, and we're kinda bored…" Ruby added on nervously.  
"Never a good thing." Blake whispered, but her parents heard.

Kali and Ghira looked at each other. "You are capable teams?" Ghira asked, looking back to them.  
There were nods of nine children.  
"Well, as long as you rotate, one group on one group off, and set when each mission is supposed to end since you will most likely be out of Scroll contact, I don't see a problem." Kali answered.  
There was a round of cheers, Nora being the loudest.

./.

Out of the nine, Ruby and Jaune were the ones who had the most homework out of the lot. Being the leaders of their two teams, they were taking what Oscar had said to heart. While protecting Haven Academy was a good start, they both knew their teams had a long way to go, if they were wanting to pose a threat to Salem's forces, or the witch herself.

"So!" Ruby started, launching herself at her bed, making Oscar near bounce off it, and yelp in fright when he became airborne.  
"Ruby!" He shouted in alarm.  
Ruby looked startled, then apologetic. "Sorry, Oscar!" She said, trying to help steady him from bouncing.  
Oscar blinked at her wide-eyed, having not sensed her coming. "D—did you need something?" He asked, trying to figure out why she actually tried to send him out the window.  
Ruby was rubbing her neck apologetically. "Sorry! I was just wondering how long you think Qrow could be away for?" She asked.

Oscar was able to recollect himself and sit cross-legged on the bed and then looked contemplative. "He's probably travelling as a bird, so the way there wouldn't take as long as returning…" Oscar started thoughtfully.  
Both children could definitely see a crow sitting atop of the _Pride & Joy_ because the man didn't want to pay for the trip back to Vale.  
It caused them both to chuckle in amusement. "So, maybe a week, or two? Depending on how long he needs to talk to Ozpin, and how long it takes to find someone willing to come here for an uncountable amount of time." Oscar continued thoughtfully.  
"Then it's our turn to go back to Beacon!" Ruby surmised.  
Oscar nodded. "Pretty much!" He answered.

Because of teams SSSN and CFVY being able to take over the immediate roles they had been doing it left JNPR and RWBY to be able to go back to taking mission Hunts.  
It brought back the Counting Game between the teams, though this time 'round it had fewer consequences for the one who ended up with the fewer kill points, aside from bragging rights from the winner: it became a good exercise to hone skill and work on pairing combos and introducing Semblances to them.

Ruby got a good kick outta randomly yelling out words or phrases and seeing if the pair it corresponded to, acted appropriately. Sometimes she got whacked for the name, sometimes she got a complete and utter confused look from all her teammates because they couldn't decipher who she actually meant, or what she actually wanted the pair to do.  
Ruby normally left her teammates to come up with their own combos, once she had the rundown of their strengths, weakness, Semblance, and what was going on in the actual fight.  
But that didn't mean she had fun seeing what worked and what didn't.

./.

Jaune normally had a little less fun with this, because half the time his teammates just stopped their fighting when they couldn't understand what he was saying, and he usually just amounted to telling whoever to do their specific skill.  
"Why can't we come up with cool and awesome codenames?" Jaune pouted as Nora and Ren bickered what their pair should actually be called.  
Pyrrha looked at him sympathetically. "Perhaps it might be best to sit us all down and explain what each code means, so they won't stop mid-battle and nearly get themselves killed." Pyrrha suggested.

Jaune just sighed. "Yeah. I know." He still pouted. "D—do you think they know they need names for us too?" He asked.  
Pyrrha giggled. "I wouldn't exactly go that far." She told him.  
Jaune nearly bent over in defeat. "Can you…just, you know, get rid of the Grimm?" He asked.  
Pyrrha nodded and took care of the problem Jaune had tried making Ren and Nora go after.  
"That was ours, damn it!" Nora yelled when she saw Pyrrha take their target down.  
"Less bickering more fighting!" Jaune yelled.  
Nora poked her tongue out defensively, while Ren held up his hands in surrender before they got back to helping Pyrrha.

./.

Oscar still couldn't get over that every time he saw Ruby sport the rose pins and corresponding green ribbons that his stomach would try and melt and revolt on him, it was an affliction he hadn't been able to control, nor could he get over what her cloak was hiding under it. _No Sleeves_. Normally when that thought resurfaced, it normally immediately sent his mind offline for a few seconds.  
Not trying to recall the time he found that out didn't help because _it made things so much **worse**_.  
Nothing really helped, but he hadn't resolved to smacking his head against a brick wall yet, so that might still help.

But the time that he was out after dark fetching in the report SSSN had left at the mailbox on their way to bed, he noticed the clear sky and stars coming out to shine. Seeing so, he smiled, and rushed back inside, leaving the report stuck to the fridge for Kali and Ghira, he rushed upstairs.

"Miss Ruby?" He called when he hadn't found her in her room.  
Ruby's head poked out of Yang's room, and he deflated.  
"Oh, if you're busy, don't mind me." Oscar told her.  
"You don't mind?" Ruby called.  
Oscar shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Nope! It wasn't urgent!" He told her encouragingly.  
Ruby gave him a megawatt smile, that his stomach traitorously flipped at before she disappeared back into her sister's room.  
Oscar's posture deflated dejectedly, now that she couldn't see his disappointment, but he turned back around and headed back outside, pausing to wave at Ghira, who had found the report by now as he went out the door.

Oscar knew where the ladder to the roof would be, in some distant part of his memory, but he didn't really want to find it that way.  
He really had wanted to show her the stars. But he wasn't about to interrupt her time with her sister. Maybe he could tell her in the morning which constellations he could see.  
Oscar found the ladder and headed up to the roof, minding where he put his feet, knowing that some shingles were looser than others, and such would reverberate into the compound.  
He really didn't need all of RWBY and JNPR to think he was a spy.  
They don't really talk about the racoon incident.

But, finding a stable set, he sat, and eventually lay down with his eyes heaven bound.  
He really could see more here than back at the farm. Or at Vale.  
…He really did want to share them with her. Oscar could see the Four Maidens, and the Twins as well.  
Did she know about the stories behind them?  
She would probably get a kick out of the Four Maidens constellation, if anything.  
There were others: The Two All-Seeing Eyes, and the Beowulf one as well, with just a quick glance around.  
Though, he did like the Twins one most out of the ones he could currently see. One was a bright wavering red and the other was a glittering silvery-green he had enjoyed when he was a child. He had always likened the red one to a flame, and he a moth, since he was drawn to it so much.

"There you are!" Ruby's voice shouted.  
Oscar yelped in fright and sat up in alarm. What was it with her all of a sudden and trying to scare him into permanent injury!?  
"Do you know how long I've been looking for you? I even had to ask Blake's dad!" Ruby asked, suddenly sitting next to him.  
He blinked at her in surprise. "…I wasn't aware such a period of time had passed?" He questioned.  
Ruby was frowning at him. "You're normally asleep by now." She told him.  
Oscar's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Huh." He voiced in surprise.

Ruby regarded him. "So whatcha doing?" She questioned.  
"Stargazing." He told her, with a smile.  
Ruby cocked her head. "Star…gazing…?" She questioned.  
Oscar suddenly beamed. "Yeah! I'll show you!" He waited for permission, which she nodded for. "Here! Lay down!" He told her enthusiastically that made her chuckle but comply.

He heard her gasp out in awe, making him turn to her and saw the stars reverberating back in her eyes prettily.  
"Have…you not done this before?" He questioned, causing her to turn her head to him.  
"Not since I was in Patch, and I was much younger." Ruby told him.  
Oscar grinned at her. "There are different constellations to see here than in Patch!" He told her happily.  
Ruby smiled and looked back up. "None of these looks familiar…" She whispered.

"Here," Oscar started to point to the first star, then dragged his finger down towards the horizon. "The four main stars in this line formation are called the Four Maidens." Oscar told her.  
Oscar smiled when he heard her snicker in mirth.  
"The one that is most at the horizon corresponds to which season it currently is!" Oscar told her.  
Ruby gave out a vocalisation of her awed understanding.  
"And we know the other reason as well," Oscar put forth, making her laugh out loud. Oscar then pointed to a set of two catchments of stars. "There is the All-Seeing Eyes," Oscar told her. "Ozpin quotes that one more then he has the Maidens, I think," Oscar voiced, making Ruby giggle.

Oscar stalled when he heard her gasp and point upwards. "That one looks like a Beowolf!" She cried, unknowingly finding its namesake.  
Oscar then gave out a laugh. "Yeah, that's its name, ironically." He told her.  
Ruby laughed along with him happily, turning to him, only to pause when he shivered with the breeze causing her to sit up and take off her cloak to use it as a blanket.  
Oscar blinked when he could feel her heat coming off the material, as well as her megawatt smile, as she turned her eyes back up to the stars.

"Oh, that one is pretty!" Ruby said in gush, pointing upwards a little to the right.  
Oscar followed her finger and found she was pointing to the Twins. "Ah, you've found one of my favourites!" He told her happily.  
Her eyes snapped to his, rounded and wide. "Really!? It has a name?!" She nearly yelled.  
Oscar nodded. "The Twins, that one," he pointed to the red flicking one. "I've always thought as a flame, sometimes it goes out, in winter, but it always comes back." Oscar told her.  
Ruby's eye lit up. "Like that bird! The…the…" Ruby stalled when the actual name of the bird escaped her.

Oscar blinked. "A phoenix?" He asked.  
Ruby snapped her fingers at him. "That one!" She near yelled.  
Oscar gave a chuckle. "They're not named after birds," He told her in mirth, before pointing to its silvery-green counterpart. "And that one, makes up the Twins." He told her, looking back at her for her response.  
"They're pretty." Ruby gushed out in awe that made Oscar beam.

They lapsed into friendly silence, every now and again pointing to a collection of stars and making up random names, and even more random stories to match them, always making the listener burst out laughter.  
One such story Oscar made up, had Ruby sitting up in stitches and crying with laughter.  
It had made Oscar feel like he could have touched the stars in the feeling of accomplishment he felt at her reaction.  
"Do you think we could do this again?" Ruby asked once she calmed down enough.  
Oscar nodded happily. "Whenever you want! And as long as it's a clear night, obviously." Oscar told her.

"But, I think it might be best to go to bed." Ruby muttered since her cloak had long ago stopped helping shield against the cold annoyingly.  
Oscar sat up and sighed. "We better get some sleep as well." Oscar told her before he stalled catching her staring at him, and blinking in what looked like stunned amazement. "…What?" He questioned.  
She went beet red before she turned away in a hurry. "We…better go get some sleep…" She muttered as she stood up.  
Oscar followed her in confusion. What had that been about?

Ruby was frowning at her reaction as she kicked up a rock as she waited for Oscar to climb down.  
…Since when had Oscar make her stall like that? He hadn't acted differently if anything, he was more exuberant then he had been in a while, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before.  
So why did her stomach decide to feel like she had swallowed a bucket load of butterflies?  
Oscar jumped down from the ladder and grinned at her happily.  
Yeah, that _wasn't_ helping her stomach settle in the slightest.  
Ah well, at least it was Oscar. But it wasn't like she was about to stop and ask him why her stomach decided to catch butterflies, no matter what he said that she could tell him anything.  
Even she could tell, this was for her own gain to figure out.  
Until she could fully figure out what it meant, then she'd tell Oscar.  
…If she was right. …Not because it was Oscar or anything.

/

* * *

/

They woke up later than usual.  
Ruby walked into the kitchen half asleep, and hungrier than anything, stalled when she rubbed her eyes to see if she could remove the mirage of Glynda Goodwitch standing in their kitchen when she couldn't, she shook her head and walked out.  
"Hey, Oscar?" She heard him answer her. "I think I woke up in the wrong house." She muttered as Oscar came down the stairs.  
"What do you mean?" He questioned in alarm, she pointed outright, then walked back upstairs still half asleep. He blinked at her, then walked into the kitchen, to see a very amused Glynda.  
Oscar stalled in his tracks. "Huh. He actually sent you," He uttered blinking, he swore she was mentally laughing at him. He knew that look, damn it. "Great. Yeah. That's great," He backed up, suddenly nervous to be in her company. "Um, bye. What?" He questioned, then bolted in the same direction Ruby went in.

Yang, not too later, ran into their room, wide-eyed.  
"WHY IS PROFESSOR GOODWITCH IN OUR KITCHEN DRINKING TEA?!" Yang yelled.  
Ruby blinked. "Huh. That actually happened." She muttered.  
Oscar blinked at her. "…She's allowed to drink tea, Miss Yang?" He questioned.  
"Not the point. Why is she here?!" Yang burst out, after staring at the boy dumbfoundedly.  
"Hey, guys?!" Qrow's voice yelled from somewhere below them.  
Yang was the one who tripped on her way out, and she cursed her uncle for it.

By the time they got back down to the kitchen, they were greeted by the rest of their teammates, who had varying different emotional expressions, ranging from Jaune and Pyrrha's curious confusion, to Ren's calm face, to Nora's annoyance at the professor for being in her way of the pantry where her cereal was.  
Qrow off to the side, seeing them come in, groaned. "So, you can probably guess you're looking at Haven's pseudo Headmistress for the time being." Qrow grumbled as if he hadn't enough sleep.  
Oscar was the one to flinch, while the rest commented to themselves. "Wait, doesn't Ozpin need your help?" He asked, severely confused.  
He watched the two exchange a knowing look. "I told you, you would owe me lien." Qrow told her.  
Glynda grumbled, rolled her eyes as she threw money at the man.  
Oscar got the feeling he had just been betted on.

"That is a fair point." Ruby stated as Oscar aside her grumbled in annoyance over his non-existent thought-to-mouth processor.  
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ozpin needs all the help he needs, but we needed someone here we knew, so Glynda's here until further notice." Qrow told them.  
Oscar cocked his head, shrugged, then decided to get on with his day, and went over to the kettle to flip it on.  
Ruby seeing him moving went about helping while tossing the cereal box at a now gleeful Nora who had grabby hands in her direction.

Oscar looked to Glynda. "You still take half white and no sugar in your tea, yes?" He questioned.  
Glynda blinked at him in surprise but nodded.  
Seeing so, he went and took her mug off her. "Qrow can get his own." He said.  
Qrow grumbled, and just crossed arms.

"So," Qrow started once the majority of the children had settled down to eat breakfast. "You're still set on returning to Beacon?" He questioned.  
All nine children nodded.  
Nora attempted to say something with her mouth full but stopped when Ren glared at her.  
"Fair enough, we'll leave tomorrow, then, use today to pack, and don't forget anything," Qrow told them. "I need to go find Ghira and Kali." He muttered.  
Blake nearly choked. "—They're with Sun's team and Velvet's!" Blake said after nearly choking and having to have Yang and Weiss whack her back to help her breathe.  
Both adults nodded and made their way out the compound.

./.

The entire compound was turned into a warzone by various team members trying to locate all of their stuff they had brought with them or bought while they were in Haven.  
Half of them ended up snickering and pausing when Ruby shouted out she lost something.  
"Where's my Scroll?!" She yelled.  
"I have it," Oscar told her from another room.  
Five minutes later.  
"WHO TOOK MY AMMO!?" Ruby was yelling from the ammo store.  
"That would be you when you gave it to me five minutes ago, then two days prior when you gave it to me the fourth time." Oscar retorted.  
Another half hour.  
"…Do you have my scythe?" She asked.  
"That I do," Oscar told her.  
By then they had all burst into laughter.

/

* * *

/

They only thing they hadn't missed from back-backing all over the continent was the constant dull _walking_.  
But it was made easier by the train links to the waiting boat.  
Even so, there were days the trains didn't link up, and they were left stranded on their way out of Mistral.  
With that meant the group of ten needed to have one or two people keep night watch for the night they slept outdoors.  
It was midnight by the time it came Oscar's turn, then with his turn, came Ruby waking up when he sat up taking notice of Blake waking him.  
"Oscar…?" She asked tiredly.  
Oscar caressed her hair softly. "It's just my turn for night watch, go back to sleep." He told her since she had first watch.  
Ruby settled back down, while he made use of the tree his (and Ruby's) sleep rolls backed onto.

Oscar cast his senses out as his eyes were drawn up to the heavens again, and he pouted when he saw clouds marring most of his view of the constellations he knew were there.  
But every now and then the clouds broke, and the stars shone through jubilantly back down at him, he wasn't able to see the Twins, thanks to where the clouds currently were, but he was able to see some of the clusters of stars that he hadn't been able to see back at Haven.  
They brought a smile to his face when he finally caught eye of another of his favourites. The Summer Maiden star was shining just that little duller that night, that gave way to a brighter star near it. While Summer was golden in colour, even when dimmed, it allowed a bright silver star to shine.  
"Are you able to see the stars?" Came an annoyed Ruby's voice, most likely because she hadn't been able to get back to sleep.  
It caused him to chuckle. "That I can when the clouds break. I'm able to see some we didn't see at Haven." Oscar told her quietly.

Ruby looked at him, then up at the cloudy sky. "Which?" She asked.  
He pointed to near the Summer Maiden star. "On nights when it's cloudy, there is a star that shines brighter, almost as if knowing we need guidance," Oscar started.  
"The silver one?" Ruby questioned. It was like a mini-moon or a mini Summer.  
Oscar gave out a little vocal that she was correct. "It's called the Elder Sister, because, so they say, that you can draw lines straight to the Twins, and that she is always watching over them from afar." Oscar told her.  
Oscar heard her give an awed sleepy noise but watched as she pointed upward and went from one Twin star to the Elder Sister. "You can…" She muttered tiredly.  
"She'll still be there on other nights, Miss Ruby, you can sleep," Oscar told her. "She's not going anywhere," Oscar added when he heard her whine. "She'll always be there." He continued.  
Oscar watched as she nodded and nuzzled back into her pillow and back to sleep.

Oscar continued to watch the stars, while using his other senses to keep the other nine around him safe, watching the Elder Sister shine bright, guiding them to where they needed to go, as she always did, and always would, quietly and without complaint of her job to protect.  
Elder sisters were like that, he acknowledged, having seen Yang many times with Ruby. It wasn't a bond he wanted to disrupt, it was something he revered in seeing, each time he saw Yang gather her youngest sister up in a hug to congratulate her, or simply because she wanted to.  
It was something he wanted to protect at all costs.

By the time he woke Nora up for her round, it was near daybreak and he settled back down next to Ruby, who immediately latched onto his nearest arm, as he smiled at her fondly, before looking back up to the guiding star, which would still sparkle in the sky until the sun came up, and her services were no longer needed in the coming daylight.

./.

They all grumbled at Qrow when they would need to earn their way across the water, with a sudden price rise per person, which the captain apologised for, but since they kept getting attacked, they needed more of an upkeep on the _Pride & Joy_.  
It wasn't hard since they took several missions for the harbour as Huntsmen, the pub owner was ecstatic to see so many Huntsmen coming through his door, he threw all the missions he had at them, saying he'd give them enough lien for all of them to board and more for their troubles.

There were enough missions that they were able to equally split up, Yang got the short straw and she was put with Qrow. They made a time to be back at the pub by the time the ship was due to weigh anchor.  
Most shrugged at that or laughed, because that was _hours_ away, and further proceeded to bet who would return first and last.  
Yang grumbled in annoyance at that, because she knew with her uncle's luck, they'd be last.

"Okay, so tell me again, what we're looking for?" Ruby grumbled, having gone to the spot on the mission poster they were given, and finding absolutely nothing.  
Oscar eyed her. "Do you actually wish to find it, or do you wish for it to come across us first, Miss Ruby?" He questioned curiously.  
Ruby groaned, but exploded into rose petals, rushed around to pick Oscar up, before racing up the tallest tree to find their target, ignoring Oscar laughing at her.  
Up as high as they were the could see the seaside village, and the forest they had walked from, and as high as they were they were finally able to see their target a few miles away.  
With that, Ruby launched herself in its direction and ignored Oscar's cursing when she flung him at the now startled Grimm's head.

"Did you have to launch me at its head?" Oscar asked as they walked into the pub and handed their mission poster back over to the manager, who took it gleefully and thankfully, and pointed them in the direction of where whoever had returned before them were sitting.  
Ruby grinned. "It was begging was a good whacking." She insisted for the fifth time.  
Oscar grumbled at her in annoyance.

With as much lien the pub owner gave them, it was able to pay their food and their entire passage into both of Vale's Safe Zones.  
Seeing the familiar layout, several people sighed in recognition and relief of finally coming back home. Ruby looked at Oscar, and he nodded his agreement: wherever she was, was home for him too.

/

* * *

/

Up Next: Heading back to Beacon, only to meet Tai, things definitely get _drastically_ worse from there.

 _**Not to say I didn't warn you.** _


	21. Part 4 – Chapter 21

**_Summary:_** The Gang heads into Beacon, and run into Tai with Ozpin. Qrow still can't deal with them. Oscar feels bad. I did say it gets worse from there. Right? Yang drops the "boyfriend" word in front of her family. Has drastic effects on both of them. Grimm fights are a thing. Decisions are made to head into Beacon.

/

* * *

/

 _ **A/N: Please make sure to read ch. 20 first, it was put up here a few hours previous instead of last week!**_

I'm 94.5% sure this chapter took the longest because I wasn't sure how to have Oscar and Tai meet, with neither of them dying as a result.  
For reasons, neither could harm the other XD (Yang this is all your fault).

On that note, Blooming for your (not really) peace of mind: _**click, click, click.**_

/

* * *

/

 _I used to cry when you turned my lights off. I used to fight for what's burned and long lost. I used to hide from the world but, no, not anymore, not anymore! I never knew there was a backdoor: Out of the agony and pain that I would live for. No, I won't hold my breath any longer I will rise, come back even stronger! 'Cause I'm a fighter, raging fire: Burning higher and you can't bring me down! Fighter, raging fire: Burning brighter and you can't put me out! You used to say things that I couldn't understand, I used to make all the same old mistakes again. You used to break me inside but, no, not anymore, not anymore! You never thought that I would make it. You never thought that I would look down on your hatred. No, I won't hold my breath any longer: I will rise, and I will conquer!  
— Juby_

 _Other Music:  
Rachel Plattern — Fight Song  
X-Ray Dog — Conquest  
_  
Part 4 – Chapter 21

They weren't exactly sure, as they walked through the tents and make-shift homes, that there would be enough to house them again, as they weren't exactly sure if they had any refugees pour while they were gone.  
"Do you think there's enough room?" Weiss asked as they walked through towards the many halls built to hold communion since most tents were too small for such things.  
Yang shrugged. "If there isn't we can always camp out on the training grounds?" She questioned.  
Ruby laughed. "Not exactly any different from what we've been doing lately." She said.  
"Just a little bit closer to civilisation." Oscar shrugged.  
Nora snickered. "Like that sometimes makes it worse." She said.

Oscar continued to shrug, but something made him stall, and look back towards the training grounds.  
"…Oscar?" Ruby called, turning around to stop when he did, making everyone from Nora to Qrow to stop and regard their youngest. "Are you okay?" She asked, walking back to him.  
Oscar blinked, and looked back to her. "Go on without me, yeah? I'll be a second." Oscar told her.  
At that Ruby looked alarmed at letting him go off by himself.  
Yang came up and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Will you be long?" She asked.  
Oscar shook his head. "Just want to check something, won't be long." Oscar told her.  
Qrow made a shooing motion, with it Oscar took off back towards the open field they were using for training.  
"He'll be fine, Ruby." Qrow told her. "We need to go meet Ozpin." He told her.  
Ruby looked wary but nodded and continued along with Qrow.

./.

Oscar came up on the field, feeling something different in the air, the others hadn't since none of them had reacted, knowing Ozpin there would be sentries near the edge of the dense forest they were backed onto, since what happened last time, and probably numerous times since. The refugees were most likely exhibited a large amount of negative emotions, and Grimm knew where they were.  
Oscar cursed the fact the forest was dense and made his way to the nearest hall to climb up onto its roof to see if he could look over the forest. He couldn't see anything, but that didn't calm him.

./.

"Dad!" Yang and Ruby called out, seeing Tai next to Ozpin, seemingly deep in conversation.  
"Oh, this isn't going to end well…" Qrow muttered, causing Nora to snicker at him, but Pyrrha to look at him in worry as the two girls ran over to their father.  
"When did you get here?" Yang asked, while Ruby grinned at Ozpin in greeting as he moved out the way to make room for the two girls to greet their father.  
"Well, apparently not too long after you all left for Mistral." Tai said, dishevelling Yang's hair, who groaned and tried to get her father to stop.  
"Whoops." Ruby told him, making one of his eyebrows raise at her comment.

The other children settled around the hall, Nora and Jaune set up to figure out if the cooks would be serving food yet based on the time, while the rest found places to sit.  
Ozpin was the one who noted the missing child. "Where's Oscar?" He asked Qrow curiously.  
Qrow shrugged. "That kid is jumpier then you, I swear." He grumbled, as he crossed his arms.  
Ozpin looked neutrally amused at that, since they both knew why. "That doesn't answer my question." Ozpin told.  
"He ran off towards the training field, for some reason." Qrow told him.  
Ozpin collected his cane from where he was leaning it against a nearby table. "Perhaps we best find him." He said.  
Qrow shrugged, then looked to where most of the children went. "Hey! Don't get comfortable!" He yelled.  
Nora groaned at him. "Slave driver." She muttered, much to Jaune's amusement.  
"We are one down." Blake told her.  
"Of his own accord!" Nora pointed out heatedly.

Ruby bounded over to Ozpin and Qrow. "Are we setting out?" She asked.  
Both men blinked and nodded, stalling when she beamed. "Awesome!" She chittered, then rushed to get her bag.  
"Is she still…?" Ozpin questioned, looking to Qrow, who was now looking sour, while trying to avoid Tai, who was still listening to Yang rattle off a mile a minute.  
"Infatuated with Oscar? Yes. Does she know it? Probably not. You deal with her." Qrow muttered out.  
Ozpin looked to him. "I'd rather not." He told him amusement.  
Qrow just groaned.

"We're moving?" Tai asked Ozpin, when Yang needed to breathe.  
Ozpin nodded. "This hall is a little small for nine children." He told him.  
Tai was frowning at that point, since he could only count eight, two teams. Where'd the extra come from? Tai doubted Ozpin was counting Qrow as a child.  
Seeing the man, Tai glared, and Qrow offered surrender.  
Ruby bounded over to Tai and started to yank on his arm. "Come on! Let's go!" She said hurriedly.  
Both of her teams were already ready to leave.

/

* * *

/

Tai looked to his youngest daughter in confusion as she bounded, leading the way to the open field. He had noted the difference in her, not that he could pin exactly what was different down.  
No one else seemed to notice the difference, as all the children were following her lead, but often needed to spread out amongst the tents, and both Qrow and Ozpin seemed fine to let her lead.

They came in onto the training field and noted that Oscar wasn't there.  
Tai turned to regard Qrow and Ozpin. "So, you said there were nine children, when I only count eight." Tai asked.  
Yang bounded up to her father and laughed. "Oh, yeah, you mean Oscar! You totally mean Ruby's boyfriend!" Yang cajoled evilly noting the suddenly expression change on her father's face, laughably.  
Ruby yelled at her indignantly. "He is not!" She yelled, pile-driving into Yang, causing the nearby other children to rush out the way, knowing it was coming, with her scream.  
"He might as well be." Yang muttered.

Tai rounded on Qrow and Ozpin. " _Who_?" He demanded.  
Whether it be due to Qrow's luck or otherwise, Oscar suddenly jumped down from a near hall's roof, once he heard Ruby screaming indignantly, and was able to locate them all because of it.  
He was looking to the sisters in confusion as to why Ruby looked furious, and why Yang was laughing merrily.  
"Uh, guys, I was only gone five minutes." Oscar told them, noting warily the now _three_ adults next to him.  
"Oscar!" Ruby yelled and raced over to him, suddenly over whatever quarrel she had with her sister.

Oscar automatically looked to his left when he felt her weight settle there, she unknowingly put too much speed into getting to him and made him move a few steps forward to compensate.  
He ignored Yang's laughter.  
"So, this, I'm guessing is Oscar." Tai started.  
Qrow and Ozpin heard the danger in his tone, as did Oscar who flinched as he looked to him, and automatically pointed. "Xiao Long!" Before his nose scrunched up, he gave Ozpin an annoyed glare. "Sorry. Hello, sir." He amended civilly. Meeting Glynda was weird, seeing Tai was even worse.  
Ruby giggled at him. "You're not helping." He told her.  
Ruby just looked at him in amusement, causing him to sigh.

./.

Before Tai had the chance to speak, Oscar's head flipped back to the forest, a second before everyone else did.  
Several froze in amazement as a lone, probably insane, Alpha Grimm launched itself from the woods, racing straight at them.  
Oscar reacted, grasping Ventus Silvis, twirling it around to strike the ground, lighting the grass up darkly, before raising one hand to freeze the lone Grimm in the air.  
"Ruby!" He growled out as the Grimm fought back at him.  
Ruby blinked. "Right!" She rounded on him, as if remembering he held her ammo, before taking out her scythe to load it quickly.

While she did that Jaune noted the ground shaking and noted the Grimm frozen was just the scout.  
"There's more!" Jaune warned, and the others readied themselves as Oscar dug his heels in the dirt to keep the Grimm where it was.  
"Launch it back!" Ruby yelled as she flipped her weapon around her.  
Oscar nodded before stepping forward and sending the Grimm flying.  
"Ice Flower!" Ruby yelled as he did.  
Weiss nodded, and her glyphs glittered into life. Ruby's first shot missed, and she grumbled noting that her uncle was close, and adjusted accordingly. She shifted her snipe off to compensate and shot, landing a kill shot.  
Seeing so, she took in the field, and the incoming load of Grimm, and looked back to Ozpin, ignoring her father's surprised look. "Does this happen often?" She asked.  
Ozpin nodded. "They are attracted to the dragon." He told her.

Ruby's nose scrunched up in annoyance, before she shoved Crescent Rose at Oscar, then she raced over towards the forest trees.  
Oscar immediately shouldered Silvis and expertly reloaded the weapon, much to Tai's surprise.  
Seeing the larger Ursa, with its spines to match, he quickly took the loaded the cartridge out, and went for a thunder-based ammo cartridge.  
"Thunder Cloud!" Ruby was yelling from wherever she was.  
Oscar didn't even blink before taking a shot at Nora and reloading the scythe out to take out others. Nora immediately slammed her now extremely charged hammer into the Ursa, breaking it into its shadow.

Ruby appeared after giving orders to all of RWBY and coordinating with JNPR, in an attempt to keep the Grimm from crossing the field.  
Seeing her return, Oscar gave her weapon back. Once she took it back, Oscar took hold of his own.  
Ruby looked back to the adults, who were almost acting as if they were to be the last line of defence in case Grimm broke rank, which Ruby didn't mind, she did notice that Qrow had made himself scarce, and her father was still surprised.

Sparing the adults for now, she looked back to Oscar.  
"How many are there?" He asked curiously, noting the many gun fire he could hear from both RWBY and JNPR further out.  
"Not enough for me to light them up. But there are more coming." Ruby told him.  
Oscar nodded. "But…?" He asked her.  
Ruby cocked her head. "Think you could hold up more than one?" She asked.  
Oscar blinked at her. "Sure, just as long as they're airborne, and it's not for long." Oscar told her.

Seeing her nod, he rearranged his weapon across his back and under his arms and stepped nearer to her.  
"Which are we going after?" Oscar questioned.  
Ruby eyed the several that had broken off from both Jaune and Pyrrha and formed from those who broke off from Yang and Weiss.  
"Those." Ruby said, she then hauled Oscar up, and exploded into rose petals that raced over to them, lifting the group off the ground then everything caught in the sudden materialising red whirlpool seemed to freeze.

./.

Suddenly Ruby reappeared at Ozpin's side, making both him and Tai jump at her sudden appearance. "Yo!" She greeted, making the adults stare at her. "Mind if Oscar uses your cane for a sec? The Grimm won't get passed it." She asked.  
Ozpin immediately gave the weapon to her, and Ruby was gone.

The whirlpool was still frozen, before a smaller amount of rose petals regained their faster pace and launched themselves at several Grimm held up in the air.  
Ruby flung herself out of it, before launching Oscar off her back down towards it, cane in hand. Several of the petals seemed to duplicate as Ruby vanished again, striking more of the Grimm still caught before they seemed to rewind on themselves, before repeating the process in damaging the Grimm. Those Grimm caught in the red haze had no chance of leaving it alive.

JNPR and RWBY, having seen the whirlpool acted accordingly, and with an array of attacks, launched their Grimm into the onslaught, several times they would see Ruby reappear at the base to kick up an incoming Grimm with Ventus Silvis before she and the Grimm vanished into the time affected red haze.  
There were now more Grimm in the red haze then outside of it, having lessened the force coming into Beacon, that left most of JNPR and RWBY without opponents but ready in case the vortex stopped spinning suddenly.

Qrow reappeared behind Tai and Ozpin, at a distance that wouldn't affect them.  
"Are you going to explain?" Ozpin asked curiously.  
"Told you, you could deal with them." Qrow grumbled as he crossed his arms.

./.

Ruby appeared at the ground of the vortex, her feet not exactly touching the black glittering ground, it made her look as if she were floating.  
"Ruby!" Oscar yelled, suddenly, as she hadn't seen the new set of claws coming up behind her.  
Oscar pushed her out the way protectively before he slammed the cane into the creature several times, the cane making several gear-like clicking noises with each strike, before kicking it back up in the air. Once he did, he looked back to Ruby in fond concern. "You okay?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded as she grinned, before she launched herself at him and rounded back up the vortex.  
To anyone watching, they knew immediately that Oscar had saved the girl from a nasty injury, and he very well put himself in harm's way to do so.

The haze dissipated in density as the Grimm were less and less, until with the last one vanquished, the haze dissipated altogether, leaving behind Ruby and Oscar.  
Who both looked to each other in triumph.  
"We did it!" Ruby yelled excitedly jumping up and down, before lunging at Oscar to hug him happily.  
He laughed at her, but he brought his arms up to encase her fondly.  
"Yeah. You can totally deal with them." Qrow muttered.

/

* * *

/

Fighting had made them hungry, so it was a unanimous vote from the children to go to the dining hall, the only hall currently big enough to fit them all.  
Oscar blinked as he walked. "Oh, right, Ozpin!" He called, causing the man to turn to him neutrally. Oscar tossed the furled-up cane back to him. "That was all Miss Ruby's idea, just so you know." He told as Ozpin caught it.  
Ruby grumbled. "Saboteur." She muttered, making him laugh at her fondly.  
"Well, it was!" He said to her.  
"Yeah, but you weren't meant to tell Ozpin that." She grumbled.  
Oscar grinned at her. "What happened to not telling lies?" He asked.  
Ruby stared at him, before yelping out indignantly. "Nope. Nope. Nope. How." Ruby muttered as she walked faster, causing Oscar to laugh harder, then try to catch up to her.  
Most knew that Ruby and Oscar personally had never had that conversation.

Ruby knew that Tai was watching her, but looking to her father, he looked as if he hadn't come up with whatever he wanted to say properly. His mouth had opened several times before he looked annoyed at himself.  
As usual, the children filled up one bench along the hall, and the adults on the other side of the hall.

"Have you decided what you will be doing while here?" Ozpin asked.  
Ruby was the who stalled from getting her food like the rest, feeling the question was aimed at her.  
"Well, uh, we kinda wanna continue to hunt down more Grimm? And Beacon is the better place for it, because of the dragon." Ruby answered.  
"You won't go back to school?" Tai jumped in, looking between his daughters and a neutral Ozpin.  
Yang had sat down with her meal. "We kinda feel like we'd be better spent weakening the Grimm forces." She said.  
Tai looked to Qrow, glaring as if he thought Qrow was at fault.  
"I had nothing to do with this!" Qrow insisted.  
"We have made our own choices." Oscar insisted, giving over a plate to Ruby, for her meal.  
Ruby grinned seeing him return and nodded in gratitude he had fetched her food as he sat down with his own meal.

"How so?" Ozpin asked, curiously.  
Oscar looked up from his food. "We agreed that going back to school while Salem is still about," Oscar stalled when Tai flinched, and looked to Ruby for help.  
"We know that if we hunt more Grimm, Salem will get weaker." Ruby insisted.  
Tai looked to Ozpin and Qrow. "Just how much do these children know?" He asked.  
Ruby huffed. "We're not exactly children…" She grumbled, as Yang crossed her arms in the same emotions expressed.  
"They have been made aware, Taiyang." Ozpin told him, startling the man.  
"Yeah, totally not like we fought against Hazel, and Cinder while protecting the Maiden statue, or nothing." Yang grumbled loudly.  
Both Ozpin and Tai stared at her, then glared at Qrow.  
"You did not tell me this." Ozpin told him, faster than Tai.  
Qrow looked offended. "Like there was time last time!" He insisted. "I knew we were coming back, and I could tell you then!" Qrow continued.

Oscar shivered. "Hazel still scares me," Oscar muttered.  
Ruby blinked at him incredulously. "And Salem doesn't?" She asked.  
Oscar looked to her. "I know how to deal with Salem. Hazel on the other hand, hates me." Oscar told her.  
Ruby cocked her head. "Don't you mean he hates Ozpin?" She questioned, ignoring the backwards and forwards her father and Ozpin had going on between her and Oscar.  
"He didn't seem to mind." Oscar told her.  
"Yeah, that was probably when you mentioned his sister, though." Ruby reminded.  
Oscar groaned. "Don't remind me, he makes no sense." Oscar mumbled, making her giggle at pat his head fondly.

"And we also figured Cinder might come back to Beacon, since she can open the statue here, gods know why she decided to attempt Haven's." Oscar continued, shrugging, leaning forward to grasp seasoning for his meal.  
"You haven't figured out why?" Yang asked curiously.  
Oscar shook his head. "She would have known she wouldn't have been able to open Spring's." Oscar reiterated.  
"You do realise you're talking about Cinder, right?" Jaune interrupted. "She has, like, egomania, or something." Jaune told him, making Pyrrha giggle at the comparison.  
Oscar blinked, then shrugged, and left it at that.

"Oh! Oh!" Nora said, suddenly jumping up and down, looking excitedly towards Oscar, pointing her fork at him. "Please tell me where the hidden buttons are!" She asked.  
Oscar reared back. "Hell no." He immediately told her, making Ruby burst out laughing, and Nora slumped as she pouted. "I don't need you running into Beacon, just to press buttons." Oscar told her.  
Nora crossed her arms. "Spoil sport." She muttered.  
"But I will show you, should the occasion arise." Oscar told her.  
Nora's expression was immediately back to jubilance. "YES!" She yelled happily.  
Ozpin had the feeling he knew exactly what Oscar was referring to, and he dreaded whichever semester JNPR and RWBY returned to Beacon for.

./.

They all thought it best to not tell Tai that Ruby and Oscar shared the same living quarters and shared a bed together when they slept. He seemed uneasy with everything else the two did together, they thought it best to leave it as it was, and not risk an unnecessary meltdown from the man in question.  
Ozpin seemed to be alright with whatever they chose to do, within reason, he did suggest they take on as much as they thought they could handle before even attempting to find Salem's operatives, and warned them against going up against Salem herself anytime soon.  
Which they all agreed to since none of them had a death wish. They knew they needed more time to prepare.

They also needed to come up with a schedule for using the training field, since the nine of them crowded the area to much for practice that they wanted to do before they went out for Beacon's ruins.  
That morning, it seemed to be team RWBY that was using the field, while suddenly Ruby patted down her skirt as the team readied to leave.  
"Wait, where's my Scroll?" She muttered, causing Ozpin and Tai to look to her curiously, while Qrow continued eating, already knowing where this was leading.  
Oscar immediately stalled eating, stood up and dove one hand into his pocket and retrieved her Scroll, and her friendly ammo blanks. "You left these," He told her.

Ruby blinked, before taking the items, looking back to him. "…Did I forget anything else?" She asked.  
"I have your ammo, your dust ammo, as well as your lien." Oscar told her, not needing to think about what he had picked up after her, as he sat down.  
Ruby blinked at his fond expression. "Right. I'll come find you!" She insisted, then raced out the room.  
"Thank gods you didn't forget your scythe, this time." He muttered fondly.

"She still forgets her scythe?" Tai asked.  
Oscar looked up to him and nodded. "You would think it would be the first thing she _does_ remember to take with her, Miss Ruby? Nope. It's the last thing." Oscar reiterated.  
It made Tai chuckle and shake his head in disbelief.  
"Has leaving it behind caused her harm?" Ozpin questioned looking up from his tablet he was working on.  
"Not in this lifetime, thankfully." Oscar told him.  
Tai looked from one to the other confused, making Oscar beam at him. "Hi!" He called.  
Tai was now frowning in puzzlement, as Oscar greeting him, hadn't made sense, or why now Ozpin was shaking his head.

/

* * *

/

They rotated which team hunted at the ruins, and which patrolled the two Safe Zones. Both teams found they were nervous around the broken tower for the same reason: the altered memories they didn't have but knew about what happened at the top of the tower where the Dragon stood frozen drawing Grimm to it.  
No matter how much Grimm they took on did it seem that there never seemed to be an end to their ranks.  
They couldn't tell how the Grimm appeared in the ruins of Beacon Academy, since they would need to go through the two Safe Zones, or come in from the sea, which wasn't exactly possible based on their land features.

"Maybe we should have both teams there and search the halls, to see if we can find out how?" Oscar put forth. "They might be getting in from underneath." He said, reminding them of Mountain Glenn.  
The idea unsettled them, but they nodded nonetheless.  
"I'll come with you." Qrow told them over his breakfast, since he had been staying in the Safe Zone.  
Ruby nodded at him. "Sure!" She answered happily.

Coming to the once lively halls of Beacon Academy was unsettling for everyone involved, from the courtyards, to the walkways, all were quiet, outside of prowling Grimm that had managed to get into the rooms that once housed their learning for their first year at Beacon.  
Oscar had looked at the rooms sadly, but there was hope, seeing that not much damage had been caused overall, there was only the odd room here and there that the Grimm had broken into and messed around with. With that, he knew that if they could figure out how to vanquish the dragon, without severe damage to Ruby, Beacon would still be mostly functional.

Ruby came up to Oscar and put her hand on his shoulder.  
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar looked to her and nodded. "The school didn't suffer much, only the odd room here and there, and the tower, of course." Oscar told her.  
Ruby regarded him. "So, it's just because they keep coming back that's hurting the school?" She continued to ask.  
Oscar nodded. "The Academies were built to be able to withstand some damage in mind, but a constant barrage of Grimm is outside of any norm." Oscar told her as they walked ahead of their teammates.  
Ruby nodded in agreement. "The schools were built with the idea there would always be Huntsmen on its grounds, right?" She asked.  
"Very true." He told her with a fond smile. "That was always the intention." He added.

Ruby looked to him and smiled.  
"We'll figure it out, and then we'll be able to bring the Huntsmen back!" Ruby encouraged.  
It caused him to smile and nod at her. "I believe you." He told her truthfully.  
Ruby stalled for a second, before understanding flushed through her eyes suddenly, and she beamed at him. "Good!" She told him, squeezing his shoulder, before lifting her hand but keeping near him.

She finally understood the butterflies in her stomach, and of course she would figure something like _that_ out when she couldn't exactly tell him.  
Though, she looked to Yang who had her head in a classroom to check it, she wondered how many people knew before her. She stole a look at Oscar's fond expression, maybe he even knew before she did herself too.  
She really did need to talk to him, and see where he stood, and where she stood with him with any prospects of furthering that standing.

./.

Ruby wasn't quite sure how to act now she understood her own self, how did she act previously?!  
Oscar was giving her an odd look, maybe she was acting different.  
"Sorry?" She questioned in a whisper.  
Oscar frowned in confusion, but his attention was driven away by Jaune and Pyrrha returning from a classroom they split off to investigate.  
"Only small Grimm." They reported.  
Oscar nodded, and they waited for the rest to come back, seeing this particular hallway was filled with classrooms, that they all split up with Oscar and Ruby standing guard in the hall.  
While one or two rooms were trashed, they hadn't found the Grimm responsible for it.

Qrow was the last to return, from the furthest classroom, to report only smaller type Grimm as well.  
Nothing that could have caused the mass destruction they had come across.  
They would need to find whatever was responsible, if singular or plural in form before they headed back to the Safe Zone for the coming night, before returning tomorrow.  
They never really realised how big their school was until they needed to go through every single room meant to house up to four years' worth of students.

./.

"Hold up!" Oscar cautioned as they were going to turn into a new hallway.  
His caution immediately amassed the nine others to handle their weapons cautiously.  
Ruby came up to him nervously, as he peeked around into the hall.  
"What's wrong?" She questioned.  
"Get back!" Oscar suddenly hissed as he moved, bringing her up as he put himself against wall, the others rushed to do the same.  
There was a suddenly ominous clicking noise that was continuous and getting closer.  
Each click sent panic up Oscar's spine as he tried to disappear into the wall behind him, away from the noise. Ruby looked to him in concern, as she could feel him trembling from the arm he still had across her chest.

Suddenly across the junction came the Grimm that was causing the clicking noise, it looked like a ball with red tentacles jutting out of its base. All in all, it looked like an ominous looking jellyfish. Seeing the creature, Oscar backed up as much as he could. He knew what that was, and he knew none of the others knew what he knew.  
If it spotted them…

They froze when the Grimm stalled in the junction, clicking as its tentacles moved about, the ball-like structure atop of it seemed to glow dimly yellow as it searched.  
It suddenly squealed as if it detected them.  
"Oh no." Oscar breathed.  
And then all hell broke loose.

/

* * *

/

 ** _A/N:_** For those on Ao3, (and those here beware), should take note I've reworked the _"no deaths"_ tag into " _ **no Vol 3** canonical deaths_"

So food for thought going into next week's chapter.

 ** _I did say it was going to get worse._**


	22. Part 4 – Chapter 22 (Part II)

_**Summary:**_ I did give you guys plenty of warnings.

/

* * *

/

 _ **A/N:**_ Thanks again to Blooming for reminding me this needed to go up today because I was busy stuffing my face full of Easter chocolate and gouging on sleep.

That's better said then what happens in this chapter.

 _Please remember the warnings from the previous chapter!_

/

* * *

/

 _I can't let it break where it starts to bend I know you'll stay by my side. Together we'll face what lives on in the night. This used to be our home. The deafening silence is my crown. Will you reclaim your throne? We'll drive through the night. Promptly we'll fight: Like fire in the sky. You're all my friends until the end. I'll fight till there's no kingdom left to defend. This whole world is ours that we'll take back: and every broken heart will mend. So, help me, I won't let this be how it ends! Soon they will see how we strike back. This day is ours, now we'll fight back!  
— Nathan Sharp_

 _Other music:_  
 _Clint Mansell — Requiem for a Dream_  
 _X-Ray_ _Dog — Final Hour_

Part 4 – Chapter 22 (Part II)

 _"Hold up!" Oscar cautioned as they going to turn into a new hallway.  
His caution immediately amassed the nine others to handle their weapons cautiously.  
Ruby came up to him nervously, as he peeked around into the hall.  
"What's wrong?" She questioned.  
"Get back!" Oscar suddenly hissed as he moved, bringing her up as he put himself against the_ _wall_ _, the others rushed to do the same.  
There was a suddenly ominous clicking noise that was continuous and getting closer.  
Each click sent panic up Oscar's spine as he tried to vanish into the wall behind him, away from the noise. Ruby looked_ _at_ _him in concern, as she could feel him trembling from the arm he still had across her chest._

 _Suddenly across the junction came the Grimm that was causing the clicking noise, it looked like a ball with red tentacles jutting out of its base. All in all, it looked like an ominous jellyfish. Seeing the creature, Oscar backed up as much as he could. He knew what that was, and he knew none of the others knew what he knew._  
 _If it spotted them…_

 _They froze when the Grimm stalled in the junction, clicking as its tentacles moved about, the ball-like structure atop of it seemed to glow dimly yellow as it searched._  
 _It suddenly squealed as if it detected them._  
 _"Oh no." Oscar breathed._  
 _And then all hell broke loose._

Oscar yelped in fright when the Seer Grimm suddenly latched its tentacles around his nearest leg and yanked.  
He was suddenly on the floor and was being dragged away from his friends at an alarming speed.  
"Oscar!" Ruby yelled, no longer caring about being quiet. Ruby wasn't the only one to take aim at the creature and shoot at it.  
All it did was make it angrier and tighten its hold on Oscar's leg.

They ran after it, Oscar kicking it to try and get loose.  
"The hell is that thing!" Nora yelled, taking out a Grimm that appeared from another classroom in the hall they ran down.

Oscar's Semblance didn't seem to be working, even though the Seer was airborne. It was still anchored to the ground somewhere ethereally.  
He _really_ didn't want to think about _where_ that actually was.  
He saw that place enough in his nightmares.  
He really didn't want to think about how or why the creature was dragging him, why it choose him, or where it was taking him. Oscar could hear the others running after him, he had seen Blake try and spear her weapon attached to her ribbon into the Seer to try and stall it, but it just flicked her weapon away with one tentacle each time she tried.

All of the nearby Grimm were now going after Ruby as if they wanted to stall in her particular, which they all noticed worriedly.  
Oscar got in one good kick at the Seer. "Get off me, you stupid thing!" He hissed, hoping that someone had his weapon since it loosened when it started dragging him in the first place.  
The Seer seemed less inclined and wrapped enough tentacle around his leg. Oscar hissed angrily as the creature started to drag him again.  
Oscar could hear his friends still close by, so that was half the relief and stress he was feeling. He was half hoping the stupid thing just shot out at him because he was the closest, and not because it was trying to go after Ruby.  
Whichever, it had him now, and he wasn't sure if it had a plan of action with what to do with him. Aside from the dragging him down the endless halls of Beacon's ruins.

Oscar groaned in annoyance and tried to kick it again.  
"Let go!" He yelled as if it could hear him. "You really should recognise when you've gotten the wrong damn person!" He hissed, kicked the Seer again, aiming for its spines.  
It retaliated by wrapping another tentacle at his free leg and clicking at him.

./.

Ruby was in a state of panic ever since Oscar had started to tremble, in hindsight she could tell he recognised the Grimm, and he was scared of it.  
As if the scary clicks it gave wasn't enough to freak someone out.  
But that state heavied when it screamed and launched at him only to drag him down the hall.  
Ruby immediately ran after him, picking up Ventus Silvis as she went. Now she was worse because the boy was unarmed. And possibly scared.  
She knew she was.

Every Grimm in their vicinity seemed to have woken up and decided to attack them as they ran. It wasn't just down to Qrow's luck anymore.  
They seemed to have become vicious in the last second then they had been the entire time that had been in the ruins: launching themselves at them from darkened corners, from previously empty classrooms. She aimed her gun at any who blocked her path, trusting her teammates and her uncle to hit the ones from behind.  
She needed to catch up to Oscar and slice that damn Grimm to pieces for dragging Oscar away from her.  
It did cross her mind it was probably leading them somewhere, but with Oscar halfway down the hall, away from her, she wasn't about to start caring. Just as long as she was there whenever it decided to stop.

"Where the hell are they all coming from!?" Weiss yelled, having already summoned a pack of smaller Nevermore's to swarm into a room she had personally checked prior.  
"That creature must have something to do with it!" Pyrrha shouted from several paces back.  
"It's a Grimm, right?!" Jaune yelled, having his shield out as Pyrrha shot out protectively.  
"Looks like it." Ren replied as Nora brought her hammer down on a Creep.  
There was a lull in activity, which made them sprint down the hall until a group of both Ursa and Beowolves blocked their path.  
"Move it!" Ruby yelled, angrily, as she shot one down, then looked at Yang and Nora. "Berserkers!" She yelled.  
Both girls nodded and lunged at the Grimm in their way, smashing into skull and limb alike powerfully.  
Qrow had disappeared over them backwards to take out the ones coming in from behind, trying to thin the crowd before they could go after Oscar.

They kept running after Oscar when they could, attacking Grimm that went after them when they couldn't. Ruby kept a good control of her emotions knowing one slip and she'd light the entire area, and with Oscar still in front of her, it wouldn't end well. With that in mind, she lidded her emotions and sliced into a nearby Grimm.  
Nora hit one forcibly enough into a wall that the wall was brought down.  
"We're trying to save the school not tear it apart! Qrow yelled.  
"Whoops." Nora muttered, then tried to be a little gentler with her hits, and where she aimed them.

Being at the end of the hallway didn't seem to deter the Seer from stopping, it jerked suddenly, and rushed through a wall opening, Oscar yelped when it tossed him up, so it didn't need to let him go.  
"Son of a…" Oscar groaned, annoyed that there was nothing to hold onto to stop the Grimm from moving.  
He really hoped the opening was big enough for the rest to follow, or they could just enlist the help of Nora to bring down more of the wall if it was.

Ruby moaned in panic when they came to the wall.  
"Nora!" Jaune was yelling.  
"But you just told me not to!" Nora yelled in annoyance.  
"Just hit the damn wall!" Qrow yelled at her as he with a few others were attacked by a group of Grimm.  
Nora grumbled at getting mixed signals, but brought the wall down regardless, allowing the nine to rush into the next hallway.

They rushed through the opening, only to be ambushed by a set of Griffons.  
Nora just groaned. "Seriously?" She asked.  
"Don't ask, just kill it!" Ruby yelled.  
Nora grumbled but landed a hit on one.  
"Bumblebee!" Ruby yelled, causing the two girls to make a move and launch Yang at several.  
"Velcro!" Jaune also ordered. Nora grumbled, but she did allow herself to launch from Pyrrha's shield at the rest.  
"Hey, that worked!" Jaune said in surprised.  
"THE RUDEST!" Nora yelled from the other side of the room. "I should throw my hammer at you!" She continued to yell.

"Can you guys please focus?!" Blake was yelling as she took care of another Griffon with Yang and Weiss.  
"I could! But there would be no fun in that!" Nora yelled back, whacking a Griffin into the ground, severally cracking the cement.  
"We're gonna break the school before the Grimm do." Pyrrha noted sadly.  
Qrow just gave out a full-blown groan.  
He was _not_ explaining this to Ozpin.

./.

The Seer launched through the door to the courtyard, and flung Oscar away near to the statue, Oscar barely had time to understand it had let him go, before trying to stall himself with the force it threw him out.  
He was able to stand wobbly, regarding the Grimm warily. They both knew he had no weapon, but it hadn't attacked him outright, aside from dragging him, those tentacles could do much worse then what they had chosen to do.

It simply moved about in the air, clicking as it did.  
Oscar took a step to the side, and its clicking returned to its ominous level, and he stalled.  
It was keeping him separate from the rest.  
Oscar took a step to the other side, and it allowed him, as long as it wasn't in the direction of where Ruby and the others were, if he moved further back, it drew the same number of steps closer that he took back.  
He couldn't for the life of him figure out what it wanted, or why it wasn't attacking him outright. Maybe it was as puzzled by him that he was with its behaviour. He wasn't reckless enough to outright attack it with no weapon, he wasn't an idiot enough to think he could win.

It simply moved out the way when Yang launched at it from the air above it.  
"Oscar!" Ruby yelled, and Oscar looked at her, gratefully neither were harmed.  
Oscar looked at her in wary. "Watch out, I don't know what it's doing!" He yelled.  
"What should it be doing?!" Blake yelled, as it avoided her attack, and slipped out of her reach, making her go after it.  
"Attacking like it should?" Oscar retorted as Ruby tossed Ventus Silvis at him.

./.

They watched as they could understand what Oscar meant, the Grimm wasn't attacking, only evading.  
Those of immediate range kept up their barrage, as the long ranged were able to make it to Oscar's side.  
"Okay, so what do we do about it?" Qrow asked.  
"I'd say get rid of it, as long as it stood still long enough." Oscar grumbled in annoyance seeing as it evaded an attack from Jaune.  
"Alright then, box it in and it can't move!" Ruby ordered as she moved Crescent Rose to her back and launched herself to its open side.  
Everyone else hurried to try and box it in.

As soon as it was cornered, it started to retaliate.  
"Don't let it touch you!" Oscar yelled, dodging a swipe.  
"What will happen if it does?" Jaune asked, blocking another with his shield.  
"Aside from it _killing_ you, do you wish to be dragged across the other half of the school in case it doesn't?" He asked.  
It didn't sound like the best idea.

They heard the shrill cries of the Griffons and that of a Nevermore circling above them.  
"Oh well, that's just perfect." Qrow said in annoyance.  
Ruby rearranged Crescent Rose and exploded into rose petals that rose up to the in-flight Grimm to take them out.  
Seeing an opening, the Seer rushed out of the circle they had it in and started to evade attacks again.  
"The hell is it doing?" Nora asked, thoroughly stumped in confusion.  
Neither did it lunge or attack them once it wasn't cornered, and at every attack, it drew them further and further away from the school's buildings.

Ruby dropped back down next to Oscar.  
"Still can't figure out what it's doing?" She asked.  
Oscar shook his head nervously. "It's not acting normally." He told her.  
Ruby cocked her head. "Maybe it doesn't want to fight?" She asked.  
Oscar blinked at her. "Then it would leave, it wouldn't hang around." Oscar responded.  
Ruby nodded in thought.  
"So, what do we do? What if we leave?" Jaune asked.  
They all took a step back, and the Seer reacted, by moving a pace forward.  
"Then it'll follow us back to the Safe Zone." Oscar said.

"Well, we can't let that happen." Ruby said.  
The rest nodded.  
It suddenly screeched at them, and they stalled in alarm, as it screaming usually following by someone getting dragged.  
It suddenly took off backwards, but its direction was towards the Safe Zone.  
"Aw hell no!" Many yelled and chased after it.

/

* * *

/

They chased it through the nearby forest, and it didn't seem to want to stop, it slowed every now and again when they needed to face off against other Grimm that attacked them, but once they were vanquished it took off at the same alarming speed towards the Safe Zone.  
It deflected the many attempts Blake took to try and spear it with her weapon that was attached to her weapon, as well as Pyrrha's weapon when she threw hers.  
"This thing is so weird." Nora grumbled as they chased it.  
"Preach." Blake muttered.

They nearly fell over themselves when it suddenly changed course and dove deeper into the forest abruptly.  
They continued to chase it until they lost it in a clearing.  
It was then they noticed it had gotten dark.  
Oscar was the one to curse. "It's been running us in circles." He hissed.  
"I think we should be more concerned about where it has gone." Pyrrha noted with concern as they looked around, hearing none of its ominous clicking it usually made.  
"That might also be a concern…" Oscar parried.

Qrow looked at him. "It can't … camouflage itself, right?" He asked.  
Oscar blinked. "It shouldn't be able to." Oscar said.  
"You don't sound too sure there." Qrow told him.  
"Have you ever met a Grimm that could?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow gave out a shrug.  
"But is it possible?" Ruby questioned, coming over to Oscar and standing next to him.  
Oscar threw his hands up. "Who knows!" He said exasperatedly.

They all tensed when the creature screeched out deafeningly from all around, and one lone red tentacle shot out, even more sudden was Ruby's yelp when she was yanked off her feet.  
"Ruby!" They all yelled, Oscar quickly latching onto her, but ending up creating a pile when people latched onto each other to keep each other from being yanked.  
With an all mighty yank from the creature, Oscar slipped from their grasp, and both Oscar and Ruby were pulled towards the Seer Grimm that made itself visible over what looked like a reddish puddle.  
"No!" Oscar yelled, immediately trying to further stall them being yanked until the rest could latch onto them again.  
He wanted nothing to do with that Grimm, or the puddle it was hovering over.

The Grimm screeched again and yanked faster when it could sense the other eight catching up.  
"Oscar?!" Ruby yelled, seeing him.  
"Don't you dare say I should let go!" Oscar ordered her, feeling Blake's weapon wrap around his leg.  
He could hear Pyrrha's Semblance working, most likely on either the two girl's weapons: Gambol Shroud or Crescent Rose, who miraculously was still holding in its holster.  
Something must have snapped, because both Oscar and Ruby were yanked suddenly, and they slipped further towards the puddle more quickly.  
Oscar yelped out in fright when they all watched the Grimm sink into the puddle, and they were hopeless to follow.

/

* * *

/

In the split second, they felt like they were on solid ground then felt as if they were upside down and dangling from a ceiling.  
Suddenly every colour was inverted. Gravity took hold and they fell.  
Both Oscar and Ruby screamed out in panic when they couldn't get a handle on which way was up or down, Ruby immediately took Oscar along with her and tried to stall her momentum when she couldn't tell, but with her limiting herself to petals and with Oscar's freezing, they'd have more time to tell which way ground was: up or down.  
Oscar immediately understood her reasoning and froze them both, so she would be able to see where they were and land them.

There weren't in the forest anymore, nor was the Seer holding them, seemingly vanishing again on them.  
They were alone, the moon seemed that little bit closer than previously. Instead of trees, there were crystal rock formations that made Oscar rear and nearly lose his concentration.  
He knew where they were.

Ruby was able to see land and gave Oscar a nudge, so he would let go, feeling him do so, she raced towards at a speed she could control and avoided any reddish puddles that seemed deeper the surface level.  
Reappearing, she let Oscar down and noted he didn't go far and didn't let go of her hand uneasily.  
He was scared.  
"Oscar?" She questioned in an urgent whisper making him face her. "Where are we? How did we get here?" She continued to ask.  
Oscar stared at her, and words didn't seem to flow with the amount of overwhelming memories of where he was, and the outright fear he felt at being there.  
"We shouldn't be here…" Oscar muttered starkly.  
Ruby nodded. "Alright. How do we get out?" She asked calmingly.

It made Oscar blink, but nod and look around.  
He stalled when he saw the Seer hovering over one of the many puddles, with its tentacles embedded into the dirt around it. Seeing it he groaned in despair.  
"We're barred." He said, pointing outwards.  
Ruby looked. "The puddle will lead us back? That's how they work?" She questioned.  
Oscar nodded. "Only that one, apparently, since it is guarding it." He told her.

./.

"So, you have arrived, my dearest child." Came a voice.  
Immediately Oscar froze, overtaken by fear as Ruby twirled around, her gun already loaded. Seeing the woman who called their attention, from her white hair to her black clothes made Ruby freeze and take in the glance Salem was giving them.  
Salem's expression at Oscar was mild at best, but when it came to Ruby she was disdainful at worse, almost as if the women didn't expect much from Oscar but expected even less from Ruby.  
"How're you…? How're we…?" Ruby asking Oscar directly.  
Oscar seemed to have frozen, wide-eyed at Salem in trembling fear. It made Ruby want to take aim at the witch with her scythe, but she warily didn't, as she was not sure of Salem's attack plan.  
Salem's expression changed as if she perceived Ruby to be needing pity.  
"Child. You were called." Salem responded.

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Called?" She asked warily.  
"Indeed. I wished to speak to my dear one, and you happened to be the best action to take to make that happen." Salem told her.  
Ruby scrunched up her nose in what looked like disgust, while Oscar recalled as he hissed.  
"I did not willingly come here." Oscar hissed, grasping Ruby's hand that little bit tighter.  
He hadn't moved, in fear that either decision to move either behind Ruby would be an open invitation for Ruby to use her abilities, Oscar knew that they hadn't weakened her enough to allow Ruby to live but moving to be front of Ruby to protect her, meant he was that little bit closer to Salem's reach. Somewhere he wanted neither of them to be. Facing her head on was _terrifying_.  
"No. But here you will stay, until you can be of use." Salem said, her tone changing drastically, from civil too dangerous in a second flat.  
Suddenly, everything about the amenableness about her, turned dark, and vicious, that sent the children rearing backwards.

Ruby gaped. "You plan to keep us here?" She asked, outraged.  
Salem quickly regarded her. "I will keep my dearest child, you, on the other hand," Salem started, and with a flick of her finger, suddenly the surrounding puddles started to ooze while several human-shaped shadows appeared behind her. "I have no need for your disruptions." She answered dangerously.

./.

"There you are!" Qrow's voice yelled, suddenly appearing next to them.  
Oscar stared at him wide-eyed "Oh, why did you need to follow?" He asked, his voice trembling with despair.  
Qrow blinked at his tone. "Then you're not gonna like this." He said.  
Suddenly both teams RWBY and JNPR crash into the dirt aside them heavily.

"It does seem to me," Cinder called, making the rest of them turn around quickly. "That a little birdy has flown far away from home." She cooed, while meaning Qrow, she was glaring at Pyrrha and Jaune as if she had a vengeance she needed to quell.  
"Do you always need to make things so personal?" A man, they didn't know the name of, asked her in annoyance.  
Cinder glared at him.  
"I want the boy alive." Salem overruled, Ruby suddenly stepped in front of Oscar, growling defensively. Finally cracking at the one to many vocal attempts to take Oscar away from her. "…Do with the rest as you please." She said, taking a step back as if to survey the upcoming battle passively.  
With that, they readied their weapons, unsure who would go after who.

"With pleasure." Cinder answered.  
Cinder was the only predictive one, going after Pyrrha and Jaune.  
Tyrian still had that maniac laughter. "I owe you for my old tail!" He yelled at Ruby, showing off his metallic one, before pouncing, making Ruby put up her Crescent Rose defensively, she felt Oscar aside her tense, with one hand going to Silvis before Qrow appeared in front of Ruby and Oscar and kicked Tyrian off to the side, ignoring the Faunus' yelp of pain and quickly followed to where Tyrian landed.  
"I told you before to stay away from my niece." Qrow growled.  
Tyrian just giggled, before attacking Qrow.

./.

Hazel was eyeing Nora.  
"I remember you." He told her.  
"I also remember bowling you out of the building." Nora retorted, readying Magnhild.  
Ren eyed the outlying Grimm that looked as if they were waiting to attack by command, but stood by Nora readily to back her up.  
They all knew not to directly go after Salem while her operatives were still around, or without an exit plan.

The last man saw the three girls bearing their weapons at him, sighed as if he were annoyed. "And here it stands that I need to babysit." He moaned in woe as if the three girls weren't enough to keep him from being bored.  
"Rude." Yang told him.  
"Never said I wasn't, my dear." He told them.  
Yang scrunched her nose at him, before looking to both Blake and Weiss, who both nodded.  
"And the Grimm?" Blake whispered.  
"I think, my dear, you should worry a bit more about me." He told then sinisterly.

Both Blake and Yang ignored him for a split second before looking to Weiss, who nodded. Seeing her nodding, they both twirled around the heiress, who abruptly brought up a wall of ice that Blake launched herself then Yang along with her from behind at Watts, who reared up in surprise.  
Weiss had the cover she needed to summon an army of smaller Nevermore's.  
They swarmed around her like smaller birds, before heading out towards the incoming Grimm.  
Watts saw and groaned. "And of course, one of you is a Schnee." He said while dodging Yang's fist, and a swipe from Blake.  
"Yeah, and how about you get through us, first?" Yang growled.  
"With pleasure, my dear." Watts answered, in a fake polite tone, and went after her before realising Blake had her weapon wrapped around his foot, and he was suddenly on the floor, uncertain how he got there.  
Or why he was suddenly nearly cleaved in two.  
"I hope your _back_ _**breaks**_." Yang was hissing in anger.

./.

Salem was looking at Oscar curiously.  
"You will not be coming willingly?" She questioned.  
Oscar hissed, and Ruby backed them both up protectively.  
Seeing so, Salem clicked her tongue, as if majorly inconvenienced by the two.  
"Just how many more children do I need to go through before you yield?" She continued.  
"Try getting through me." Ruby hissed, outraged at the tactic on Oscar's behalf.  
Ruby squeezed Oscar's hand since she had not let his go. She noticed the slightly panicked concern look he gave her.  
She wouldn't break her promise. She had promised after all. And she didn't break those on the fly.  
Oscar meant too much to her to break his trust. He had so much with her, that a little promise seemed so small compared to his amounted trust he had in her.

Ruby knew that directly going after Salem was something of a death wish, and with that jellyfish-like Grimm covering the exit path, there was no way out. No active plan to get away. Ruby doubted Salem would let them go under much differing circumstances: one involved their deaths, or two, she got what she wanted, which was Oscar, and by doing that Ruby may as well only think there was one way they were going to get out of Salem's reach. She wasn't about to hand Oscar over.  
Not when she had breath in her body, nor while she still had things she still wanted to tell him.  
Like what those butterflies in her stomach meant.

"You mean to defy me?" Salem asked, curiously and with a tone that Ruby could read that the witch had never been denied before.  
"Wouldn't be if you would let us all out. And alive. And left us all alone." Ruby answered, loading her scythe.  
Salem clicked her tongue again. "You are loud." She said, dismissively, before raising her hand.  
Suddenly, from behind Salem, and coming towards them were Grimm, that forcibly separated the two.

"Ruby!" Oscar shouted as he was pulled apart, immediately grasping his staff, and attacked the Grimm, trying to make his way back to her as quick as he could.  
He could see Salem watching him thoughtfully, what was going through her mind, he couldn't fathom. Nor did he really want to.  
He wanted to get back to Ruby's side: a place where he wanted to stay.  
Whacking several more Grimm that surrounded him, he couldn't tell where anyone was anymore. With it, he gritted his teeth and focused on eliminating as much Grimm as he could to thin their lines.

She had a reason for separating them. His heart sped up at the thought that she might be doing so to get at Ruby, to attempt to kill her before Ruby used her ability on her first. Oscar panicked that little bit more and attacked more Grimm.  
He saw Salem, out of the corner of his eye, raising her arm again in his direction.  
But it wasn't at him.  
If among all those she had managed to call while trying to get him, she was the most afraid of Ruby.  
She was going for Ruby…!

/

* * *

/

Ruby wasn't able to stop herself from being surrounded by Grimm, separating from Oscar, or the look Salem was giving her in distaste.  
"What does he see in you?" Salem questioned, holding out an arm to give a command, and suddenly Ruby was being forcibly held up by a Beringel.  
"Am I meant to ask your meaning?" Ruby asked.  
"Indeed," Salem invited. "Perhaps I should ask you that question, what do _you_ think he sees in _you_? He of being who will outlive you, until nought your shadow is not even a distant memory. As with all humans, you face your birth, you die, you _fade to dust_. As all humanity in the face of deities _should_. You are a speck in space, you are _**nothing but dust**_. As what all humanity should return to!" Salem hissed in rising annoyance and upcoming anger.  
Ruby paused, not that she had much choice of movement.

Ruby stared at nothing in particular in overwhelming dread, not fighting the haze in her eyes or the tears that came with it.  
Oscar would…he would live on without her, in another form. He would continue because there was no way Salem would hurt Oscar before he had Ozpin at the back of his head outside of his memories again. If she died here, and her lineage die out with her, did that mean they ultimately lost the chance of forever harming Salem?  
Would Oscar inevitably and infinitely forget her, their days together, all their time spent together?  
But if that was the case, then why make them in the first place? To make her feel better? That couldn't be it, there would need to be something in it for Oscar's side of things. He never once seemed to get complacent, that he had too many previous lives to stop living in the present with her.

There had to be!  
They didn't spend all that time for it to dissolve into no man's memory! For it to mean nothing! If he saw himself as Salem said then he would isolate himself, and not be with her by his own choice! He had said he was with her by choice! Then he couldn't think like how she thought!  
"That might be how _you_ feel, but that isn't how Oscar feels! If you feel so high and mighty, why don't you leave, like all the other gods that you claim to be?!" Ruby yelled, finally finding her scythe hand, and decimating the Grimm holding her down, and several others around her as she went.  
Salem growled at her dangerously and raised her arm again. "You…!" She hissed dangerously.  
Ruby blinked as she brought up her scythe defensively as the witch stepped closer dangerously, with that vicious scowl and contempt expression clouding her face. "As if you could end me!" Salem said, her tone rising.  
Grimm surrounded her and lunged at Ruby.

Ruby was moving her scythe around to take limb away from them all, conservatively knowing she was running out of ammo.  
 _Oscar had her ammo_.  
"Yield to me!" Salem said, coming in closer.  
Ruby screamed out, and she flipped her scythe around her body and tore into the Grimm she sent after her. Ruby held her emotions back when she could feel her eyes start to prickle.  
The Grimm suddenly backed off, as if they could feel the change within her, but not knowing she had a promise to keep that she wouldn't use them.  
Salem recoiled and hissed dangerously.  
"You children who have that damnable silver eyed trait have always captivated my children! For too long!" Salem said angrily, suddenly moving and personally coming down on Ruby, from behind her.

./.

Oscar, who now had a clear line of sight, with the Grimm suddenly backing off, saw Salem suddenly move.  
"Ruby!" Oscar was yelling in stark fear of seeing Salem bear down on someone he loved. Personal. Too personal.  
He acted before he could think, placing himself between the two foes, and bringing up his staff to block.

Ruby watched, as if everything was on diluted time, as Oscar went flying from the hit he took for her, Ventus Silvis, the staff he worked so hard on snapping in two from the blow.  
"Oscar!" She cried, and she found herself too slow in getting to him.  
She felt herself freeze in terror as she heard the loud crunch his body created as he slammed hard into the ground.  
And he didn't get back _up_.

Ruby flew to him, not caring for anything else but Oscar.  
She reformed at his side, kneeling next to him, and pulled him into her lap.  
Ruby stared at the blood that came pooling around him, onto her hands and soaking their clothes.  
"Oscar?" She questioned quietly.  
He didn't make a sound, he didn't make any movement.  
He wasn't breathing, and there was no familiar heartbeat beating for her anymore.

It didn't stop the blood from pooling, or her hands becoming drenched in red.  
It didn't stop her eyes welling up with tears.  
It didn't stop Salem's curious gaze when she halted to watch what happened, or the actions of the people she had long stopped to care for in the background, only becoming noise rising in her ears.

Ruby's eyes prickled, not with just tears, but with her rage.  
Salem had taken him, taken him away. Something she didn't think would happen. Ruby nuzzled into him, pressing her forehead against his, before impulsively leaning back to kiss his as tears dropped onto his face.  
Because of her, she would have no more days; no more nights.  
Give him back.

Ruby lifted her gaze pure with hatred to Salem, whatever Salem said, didn't reach Ruby's ears, but Ruby categorized her next movements as hostile, she keened over Oscar, drawing him up protectively. Before she realised she didn't care anymore. Not without Oscar. He wasn't here.  
She had taken him away. Back. Give him _back_.

Ruby set Oscar down, and stood up over him protectively still, her back hunched, her fists curled, her eyes gleaming.  
No more days.  
No more nights.

" _Please don't use it! I'll find another way! I promise!"_

No more days.  
No more nights.  
Ruby screamed out, her eyes filling with a light she had promised not to use. No longer caring about the voices calling her name. The one she wanted to call out her name, would never be able to.  
Never again.

" _I promise!"_

No more days.  
No more nights.  
Ruby found she wanted neither.  
Not without Oscar by her side.  
Back. She wanted him back.

There was nothing left anymore. So, she let herself fall into a familiar darkness.  
Maybe then she could be with Oscar again, once she found him.  
Maybe she could apologise then.  
Yeah, she'd do that.  
There, there would be no need for pain, or magic and no need for tears.  
Just them.  
And maybe, just maybe, that would make it all worthwhile, in the end, if she could have him back in her arms.

 _Thus kindly I scatter thy leaves o'er the bed:  
where thy mates of the garden lie scentless and dead.  
So soon may I follow when true hearts lie withered,  
and fond ones are flown.  
Oh! Who would inhabit, this bleak world alone?_

 _/_

* * *

 _ _Then I gazed upon your face and it was then that I laughed while I cried cause I knew that this is_ goodbye._


	23. Part 5 – Chapter 23

**A/N:** Thank you for all your recent reviews, they are really awesome to read. Some I've had to answer delicately because I haven't wanted to give out endgame spoilers.

Maybe this chapter will help answer some of your questions, but all and all, I think I might just like to prolong misery a little while longer.  
I'm such an awful person.  
Actually, I still blame Blooming for this.

/

* * *

/

 _In my hands a legacy of memories: I can hear you say my name, I can almost see your smile, feel the warmth of your embrace. But there is nothing but silence now around the one I loved: is this our farewell? Sweet darling, you worry too much, my child, I see the sadness in your eyes. You are not alone in life, although you might think that you are. Never thought this day would come so soon: we had no time to say goodbye. How can the world just carry on? I feel so lost when you are not at my side. So sorry your world is tumbling down! I will watch you through these nights! Rest your head and go to sleep:_ _because_ _my child, this not our farewell.  
— Within Temptation_

 _Other music:  
Sagisapon & Yuang Chen — The Girl Who Became an Angel  
Evanescence — My Immortal_

Part 5 – Chapter 23

If there was any moment in Ozpin's life he had felt his spine crawl with dread of the unknown: it was the absolute moment he felt magic drain from his being. From where he was at Beacon's Safe Zone, he could only hope that Salem was the only casualty.  
The moment he could use his legs, and find his cane, he rushed out from the hall, leaving his tablet behind, scaring several Huntsmen as he ran, who once gathering their wits, rushed with him, fearing the headmaster had sensed another wave of Grimm.  
But they were stunned in awe when they saw the dragon Grimm fade away into its own shadow.  
"How on…?" One rushed to ask.  
The question Ozpin wanted to ask was how they had managed to find their way into Salem's dimension in the first place.

Ozpin quickly put it from his mind and rounded on the pair. "You two!" He started, and the two stood to attention. "Form a group who are prepared to go into the Ruins and find the two groups who previously ventured into them!" He ordered.  
One saluted. "Sir! And the Grimm?" The other asked.  
"Most likely have run. Take this time to your advantage." He told them.  
Both nodded and rushed off to the other Huntsmen nearby, while Ozpin could only feel dread.  
He hadn't expected this to happen as soon as it had, he could imagine finding their way to Salem was just as perilous and unexpected as the last.

He needed to make sure both Zones had enough perimeter watchmen in case the Grimm, running in their fear, ran in their direction. Ozpin quickly left his emotions of not having Glynda and Qrow to help him, as well as the brief thought if and when Tai would return before he rounded on the nearest watchtower to make the perimeter watchmen react and take notice.  
He could only hope they all made it out safely with no harm done. If anything, he was worried about Miss Rose, if anything, she would be the one to suffer the most, if the fearing and vanishing of the nearby Grimm were an indication.

/

* * *

/

There had been a few anxious hours, as every update from the Watchmen from all sides of both Zones, had noted the Grimm were leaving the area away from both Zones, as well as the school's ruins, Ozpin was hesitant to let any Huntsmen go back into the school until he understood the entire situation.  
Preferably from either Qrow or Oscar on that front.  
Suddenly the hall doors crashed open, and a Huntsmen he had sent into the Ruins ran up to him. "Headmaster!" The man was yelling.  
Ozpin stood up, taking both his tablet and his cane with him. "Report." He ordered.  
"We recovered the two groups from Beacon!" He started. "Two are in critical condition!" He yelled.  
"Where are they?" Ozpin asked immediately.  
"I'll take you to them!" He said and immediately started out for the hospital.

It was all a weird sense of déjà vu, in the cruellest of ways.  
The Huntsmen led Ozpin to the hospital, where by the front desk stood a battered and bruised Qrow Branwen.  
Ozpin was never gladder to see just bruising on the man.  
"Qrow!" Ozpin started, to get the man's attention.  
Qrow immediately looked up, a little in a daze, but nonetheless, gave Ozpin his attention.  
The Huntsmen was waved off, seeing the nonverbal order, the man nodded and ran back to his post gratefully.

Ozpin took in Qrow's tired dazed face.  
"Where are…?" Ozpin asked, and immediately stalled when Qrow flinched.  
"This…might take a while…" Qrow sighed.  
Ozpin blinked at him. "It will take as long as it can, you have been seen to, as well as the students, wherever they are, correct?" Ozpin asked.  
Qrow nodded. "I was the lease worse off, all the children are in recovery, some…more urgent than others." Qrow said tiredly.  
"Even so, you, my friend," Qrow smiled at that. "Still look like you need to sit down. You can do so while you tell me how on Remnant you managed to get to Salem." Ozpin said, coming in closer.

Qrow flinched. "How did you…?" He asked.  
"Perhaps you should start at the beginning, once you give me a room number that we can sit in." Ozpin overruled.  
"205." Qrow muttered out.  
Ozpin took one arm and gently helped Qrow walk towards the wardroom in question.

./.

Ozpin wasn't quite sure why he was surprised, that once he entered the duo room, it was occupied by Ruby and Oscar.  
After leading Qrow to the nearest chair. "You will need to explain this," Ozpin gestured to the two children he could guess were largely comatose, but somehow, miraculously still alive, if the heartbeats were anything to go by.  
Qrow's fatigue made sense if Ruby was one of the worse ones.  
"Oscar's lost a load of blood, and Ruby, well…She's barely…" Qrow started, tiredly.  
"Perhaps from the beginning." Ozpin told him, and he nodded.

Ozpin dragged the chair from the other side of the ward and sat down to listen, leaning his cane against the chair's leg, and his tablet across his lap.  
Qrow sighed tiredly.  
"I'm not sure how it happened, exactly. One minute we were just checking classrooms where Grimm were, Oscar, I'm pretty sure said that the school was fine, outside of the constant Grimm presence," Qrow paused to breathe.  
Ozpin took that piece of information in his stride, he would take Oscar's opinion on the matter, since the boy could remember how the school was built, and how much it could handle in the first place.

"Then, suddenly Oscar is telling us to stop, and a Grimm I've never seen before comes into the hall, in hindsight, I can now see Oscar was frightened of it." Qrow continued.  
"Can you describe it?" Ozpin asked immediately.  
"Looked like a jellyfish, 'cept on land." Qrow said with a weary sigh and a hand swipe down his face.  
"A seer." Ozpin told him, now understanding Oscar's terror of it.  
Qrow shrugged, less caring about the name. "Weird acting thing, too. If you know it, it makes sense how Oscar knew it, I guess. Why was he scared of it, even before it acted up?" Qrow asked.  
"A seer is part of a pair and acts on Salem's will and like a video terminal. It can give orders to nearby Grimm." Ozpin recalled.  
Qrow blinked. "So, she was watching us, fighting us the entire time through that thing?" He asked.  
Ozpin nodded. "In most likelihood. You said it was acting strange, how?" Ozpin asked.

Qrow blinked. "Right. Oscar said that it was. So, he must've known the thing was acting on her orders," Ozpin watched as Qrow gritted his teeth, in what looked like annoyance, before he looked back to Ozpin. "The thing took Oscar and ran for it. Aside from dragging the kid outside, it wouldn't attack unless we managed to corner it." Qrow told.  
Ozpin actually blinked at that. "That is unusual." Ozpin stated, for both the Grimm and Salem. Qrow just gave him a look as his eyebrow rose.  
"It then decided to run off towards the Safe Zones, which we really didn't want it to do, so we chased after it 'til we lost it," Qrow started. "There, it seemed to change tactics, and go for Ruby instead," Qrow watched the confusion frown mar Ozpin's face. Both adults knew it was unorthodox for Grimm to go after Ruby specifically, ever since she awakened her eye ability, anyway.

Qrow gave out a sad chuckle. "Yeah. Oscar didn't seem to like that all that well, and ran after her," He said before his serious look returned. "It headed for a puddle, that it shot through and they didn't come out off." Qrow added.  
Qrow watched as Ozpin looked startled. "A mirror, that close to Beacon?" He asked, mostly himself.  
Qrow groaned. "What even…?" He asked, a little tired and a little frayed he didn't understand.  
Ozpin looked at him. "It is a connection between, what some speculate, are two dimensions. Salem chose to act from a mirror realm that can be accessed through such portal-like puddles. They need to be made by Grimm, and specifically with movement between the two realms in mind." Ozpin explained.  
Qrow could at least follow that, and understand since he flew through the thing, once he got over the idea he wasn't going to fly into the ground, which would _hurt_ , for all intense and purposes.

"So, yeah, I met Salem." Qrow elaborated. Ozpin stared at him incredulously. "I'd say the children did well up in a fight they weren't expecting to have, after all the Grimm they had fought up till that point," Qrow added. "While Salem was mainly interested in both Oscar and Ruby, that didn't stop her operatives from fighting the rest of us." Qrow told him.  
"You said they were in recovery, how bad?" Ozpin asked, ignoring for now that his tablet binged.  
"The only two that are life threatening are these two," He waved his hand at Ruby and Oscar. "The others are a little bruised, aura depleted, out of ammo, and in need of a good damn rest, but other than that, they won't need to stay at the hospital if none of them went and broke any bones while I wasn't looking, obviously." Qrow told him.

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully. "Dust is becoming harder and harder to source with the Atlas embargo." He surmised.  
Qrow blinked at him. "Did you have something in mind?" He asked curiously.  
Ozpin now shrugged. "I had planned to ask the students to go north." Ozpin said.  
It was easy to say that plan was shot down the moment he felt his magic drain and he knew something had gone wrong.  
"I think that might need to wait a little longer." Qrow surmised, giving out a tired chuckle at Ozpin's glare.

"How did …?" Ozpin questioned, looking to both Ruby and Oscar.  
"Yeah, the first part of that I didn't see, which was Oscar, his weapon is…somewhere, one of the girls brought it back, by the time I could see again, the Grimm were gone, Salem kinda did that Grimm death thing, while her operatives, were they linked to her in some way?" Ozpin nodded. "Yeah, they kinda did the same thing," Qrow said. "So, by the time I could see, Salem was vanishing, Oscar was bleeding out, and Ruby was falling to the ground." Qrow summed up.  
Ozpin blinked in amazement and looked over to Ruby, aside from the machines keeping her breathing forcibly, she had a heartbeat however faint.  
"Miss Rose must have caught Salem by surprise." Ozpin voiced.  
"That was my thought too since Oscar told us about _that_ ," Qrow added, and Ozpin flinched. "I near had a heart attack getting blinded, because the kid was near her, as was Salem, with my luck both of the kids could die, and Salem wouldn't. What Oscar told us, aside." Qrow grumbled.

"We all rushed over to them. I thought they were both dead. Oscar was drowning in his own blood, at the time he wasn't breathing or was his heart beating, while Ruby wasn't breathing at all, and her heartbeat was getting fainter." Qrow recalled.  
Ozpin could hear the emotion in the man's voice, as he trembled. Anyone with eyes could have seen how much the man cared for his nieces, it apparently now crossed over to include Oscar as well, even if it hadn't been intentional at the start.  
"I'm just…really glad they're both not dead…" Qrow muttered.  
"I share that sentiment." Ozpin replied.

Qrow looked at him. "How did you know before that we went up against Salem?" He questioned.  
"I felt what magic I had left drain, something that would only happen should one or the other die out completely." Ozpin told him.  
Qrow blinked but looked as if he understood. "I think Oscar said something like that…" Then he groaned. "I hope you realise you both suck at explaining things." Qrow said.  
It made Ozpin chuckle.  
He was well aware. Oscar, apparently, was too.

/

* * *

/

They were still present when a familiar looking nurse came in.  
Seeing the two men, she smiled. "Ah, there you are, sirs." She called from the door.  
Ozpin and Qrow looked at her and saw she was the only nurse who wasn't cowed at the last time they were in a similar situation.  
"Miss Briar," Ozpin greeted, standing up, the woman looked surprised he knew her surname but nodded as Qrow scrambled to stand.  
"I'll just check on these two before anything else." She told them.  
Both men nodded and stood out the way to give her access. Qrow hitched his ankle around one chair leg to move it out the way for her.

She checked Ruby first, bringing out her watch to time the machines to see if they needed updating, then everything else keeping the girl alive, while writing down her observations as she went, once she was done, she put the file back at the foot of the bed, before moving on to Oscar.  
While Oscar could technically breathe by himself, they weren't exactly trusting the boy to do so, since every so often he stopped breathing, he hadn't taken to the blood transfusions well, if at all. And because of that, he needed to be placed into a coma for his body to take it.  
"You do realise how critical these two are, correct?" Briar asked them, as she made notes. She looked up to them. "They are a hairsbreadth away from death. If I had it my way they would be separated." She told them, as kindly as she could with the meanings behind what she told them.

Qrow and Ozpin looked at each other, Qrow showing more alarm then Ozpin.  
"Then why are they sharing a room?" Qrow demanded.  
Briar eyed them all, before putting down her notes. She walked over and kicked the stand locking Oscar's bed, before moving it slightly.  
Within seconds, alarms from both children went up.  
"That would be why," Briar told them over the noise, before putting Oscar's bed back, and the alarms died down. "Don't ask how they know, but they know, this is as far away either will allow before one of them stops functionality." Briar added.  
Both Qrow and Ozpin stared.  
"Should they… be able to do that?" Ozpin asked, as Qrow had his mouth open in awe and Briar went about locking the bed up from moving.

"No. And no one knows how they're able to function on that level while being near death's door. Neither of them are able to breathe or function at that level of mental awareness, but…" Briar shrugged. "Attempting to move them apart causes them both to break down faster. Something we don't exactly want." Briar explained.  
"What happens if the beds are pushed together?" Qrow asked curiously.  
Briar shook her head. "No can do, not at the moment, both could get serious infections, hence why I would like to have them separated, but this will have to do." She told them.

Briar collected her notes and put them back at the foot of the bed, before regarding them both.  
"Now, Headmaster, I know you aren't exactly either of their parents, but I am assuming you are taking over guardianship?" She questioned.  
"For Oscar, indeed, but Miss Rose," He waved Qrow in.  
"Ruby is my niece." Qrow elaborated.  
Recognition flashed through her eyes. "Ah. Yes, I recall from last time." She nodded.  
"Also, her father should be here soon, he has been notified." Ozpin told.  
Qrow flinched. "…I'm in trouble, huh?" He asked.  
Ozpin gave him a look. "In anything, we both are since we both allowed it to happen." He said.

Briar was looking at them with a disgruntled look.  
"Are you able to discuss this later?" She asked, making them both jump and look at her again.  
"Apologies." Ozpin told her.  
Briar regarded him. "I assume you two have guardianship over the seven others?" She asked.  
Both nodded. "Alright, I'll need you to come with, then." She ordered and went over to the door before checking both men were following.

./.

Briar led them into what looked like a patient communal area.  
They saw what was left of RWBY and team JNPR in its entirety.  
All seven children noted them and jumped up with several forms of Qrow's and Ozpin's name being said as they came over to them. Several were bandaged up along their arms and legs, some had band-aids or healing stitches over face wounds. Jaune had bandages around his entire forehead. Blake had her hair ribbon (forcibly) removed so a nurse could place healing stitches in one ear when a Grimm tore at her. All of team JNPR, as well as Weiss, were aura depleted so much that it would take days before they could regenerate their aura productively.  
"Is Ruby okay?!" Yang was the loudest then to say, she had bandages under her clothing around her stomach area.  
"How about Oscar?" This question seemed to be directed at Ozpin as if they thought he would know best.  
Qrow put his hands out to ask for peace. "Alright, alright!" He started.  
"I know the lot of you should be on bed rest, so sit your butts down!" Barked Briar.  
All seven children were suddenly seated much to Qrow and Ozpin's surprise it actually worked to that degree.

Briar regarded them all, before turning to Ozpin. "They have beds allocated in the Safe Zone, yes?" She asked. Ozpin nodded quickly. "Good," she said and looked back to the children. "I will be brief, so you can find said beds and sleep until you need to." Briar started, she put up a hand when she saw complaints inbound. "You are not allowed to visit Pine or Rose under any circumstances until we say otherwise, this also means no sneaking in, or horseplay," Briar interrupted. Qrow saw the glare she landed his way and got the non-vocal understanding his visitation rights went out the window if he had a drop of alcohol on hospital grounds.  
Yang went pale. "They're that bad." She whispered in fear.  
Blake and Weiss immediately tried to console her.

"I can't say for sure since I'm not a Huntress, but whatever they have done, whatever they did, Pine has lost nearly all of his own blood, and absolutely refused to accept transfusions lucidly. For Rose, she is a second away from death," Briar looked to Ozpin and Qrow. "Perhaps you can explain the other side of things, but before so, as Huntsmen, are they able to leave and bed rest? As civilians, they would be able to." Briar asked.  
Briar, as a medical professional, knew treating Huntsmen and Civilian were different, adding Faunus into the mix was a whole different ball game again. Sometimes Huntsmen bounced back, other times they didn't. It was just how they were. Most of her colleagues refused to treat any other then Civilians since they didn't understand those differences.  
But Briar would take what she could understand, ask when she didn't.

Briar watched as both Qrow and Ozpin regarded them all.  
Ozpin was the one who looked at her. "Bed rest it is." He told her.  
Briar nodded. "Then they can leave whenever." Briar summed up before glaring at them. "And no visiting Pine and Rose!" She ordered before she left them.

"She scares me." Weiss muttered  
Blake looked at her and moaned in pain when her ear tried to flick to the sound. "…I think she scared everyone…" She muttered out in pain.  
Yang patted her shoulder, before looking to Qrow and Ozpin who had by now sat down. "So…?" She asked.  
"For all purposes, Miss Rose should be dead, and we should be thankful she is not." Ozpin started.  
The children stared at him wide-eyed.  
"So, wait, Salem is legit gone, _gone_?" Nora asked deadpanned.  
Ozpin nodded. "Indeed." He told them.  
They all stared at him.  
"Oh right!" Yang suddenly said. "Oscar said that!" She burst out.  
Ozpin blinked at her, while the other children gave out their understandings as if they all just remembered.

"If you don't have any more questions, I'd suggest moving along, and getting to your tents." Ozpin told them.  
Most of them nodded.  
"Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin called, seeing so, JNPR ended up walking away first, with the rest of RWBY stalling. Yang cocked her head at him. "Make sure your father does understand the very much real threat your sister may not…" Ozpin stopped as if he wasn't sure how delicate he needed to be.  
But Yang understood and looked to Qrow. "Can you stay if he doesn't get it?" She asked.  
Qrow nodded, as Blake gave out an annoyed groan and held her injured ear when it tried to follow their conversation.

"Are you alright?" Weiss questioned, hearing the pained noises coming from her teammate.  
"I think I need a splint…" Blake muttered.  
Weiss blinked in confusion. "Can they actually splint…?" She questioned, painfully aware she didn't know everything, but unashamed in wanting to ask questions.  
Blake blinked. "Probably should find Briar and ask, because it's hurting." Blake said.  
"Sure!" Weiss said.  
Yang was nodding. "You two go do that, I need to go find my dad, 'kay?" She asked. Both girls nodded, then Yang held up her Scroll, in view of both girls and her uncle. "Keep in touch!" She said, waving the phone before rushing off.  
Blake and Weiss nodded politely to both Qrow and Ozpin before setting off towards the main desk.

"And you…?" Qrow asked, he wasn't sure of what Ozpin would do, but he had been no stranger to the amount of beeps Ozpin's tablet had made during their time at the hospital.  
"I have to leave, if only for a little while." Ozpin stated the tone he used suggested he would rather stay. But other things needed doing.  
Qrow shrugged and understood. "I'll head back to Ruby and Oscar, I'll keep in touch." Qrow told as he walked, waving his hand up as he went.

./.

Qrow swore he hated the silence that he was surrounded in, while he sat, the silence was driven by the dull duo heartbeat's, and the breathing mechanism to the side of one of the two, very bright and loud children.  
Those two always had something to say or something to do.  
Having them quiet was unsettling, to say the least.

Qrow flinched back in shock when the silence was suddenly a roaring sound of different alarms that sent the man to the back of the wardroom as if he feared he had caused the fault.  
He stared wide-eyed at the machines around Ruby as one by one started to alarm, and her heart beat coded. Qrow rushed over to the panic button and retreated back to the wall in hopes he hadn't caused them to sound off.

Briar was in before he was backed against the wall with a plethora of other nurses, who had probably come running at the alarms before he even pressed the button. One was apart from the rest, monitoring Oscar fixatedly as if expecting him to follow.  
He noticed that they were all careful to not move either bed further apart. Briar had given him a once-over, and hand signal for him to stay where he was.  
Qrow hadn't moved an inch.  
The alarms were still going.  
He wanted the silence back, because maybe then it meant nothing wrong had happened.

It took a minute before the other orderlies left the wardroom.  
"What was that?!" Qrow burst out.  
Briar regarded him as if he were about to combust.  
"Miss Rose here just did a phenomenon, we call flatlining in her coma without outside cause." Briar explained.  
Qrow was already staring. "And that means?!" He asked.  
"What caused her state? How did she come to be like this? If you could explain it to me." Briar requested.

Qrow blinked. "She used one of her Huntress ability, only she has, against a person, using it in that way she knew would cause her harm. She promised Oscar she wouldn't use it." Qrow started.  
Briar crossed her arms in confusion. "So why did she use it, if she promised not to?" She asked.  
"Because Oscar was at her feet bleeding out, probably at that point already with no heartbeat." Qrow told her.  
Qrow watched as the woman spat out curses, then went over to Oscar. "We've been dealing with this all wrong!" She yelled.  
"…And how is that?" Qrow asked nervously.  
"To treat Miss Rose, we need Best Boy here up and functioning." Briar stated, reading his chart.  
Qrow blinked at the nickname. "And how does that…?" Qrow asked.  
"She is functioning on the idea that he is dead, wherever her mind is at. Can you say in good faith Miss Rose would want to return with that knowledge?" She questioned.

For all the days he spent watching over the two, he knew by now they functioned as a single unit, having come to and seeing Ruby bloodied up with Oscar's blood, he knew she would have known that Oscar at that time wasn't breathing.  
Her promise to him stood on the principle the boy would be there should she not use her eyes. Qrow had found out what happened when Oscar was taken out of the equation.  
And he found it would haunt his nightmares for a long time.  
"No," Qrow finally said, after finding his voice. "She wouldn't." He told her.  
No amount of family contact would help Ruby. She had inherited that habit from Tai.  
Briar regarded him. "We need to focus on getting Pine to a state where we can confidently wake him up." Briar ordered.  
Why she was telling him what she was going to do, he had no clue, but he nodded his compliance anyway.

/

* * *

/

He knew as his consciousness floated around that he was on some type of medication, and knew that whatever it was, wasn't enough to stop the extreme pain he was still feeling.  
Where was…?  
He couldn't find her.  
Panic surged through him, maybe he hadn't gotten to her in time?!  
Everything hurt.  
Where….?  
His amount of need to know where he was himself was low. His need to know where she was, and be with her, was overpowering everything else.  
He needed to know.  
Needed to open his eyes. Needed to speak. Needed to find her.  
Needed to be with her. To tell her everything. And damn the consequences of everything else.

./.

Ozpin looked up when something disturbed the usual noise of the wardroom.  
He saw the differences in the machinery and got up quietly.  
Oscar, for the first time, in as many days that Ozpin had lost count on, was finally making noises.  
There was a painful confused frown marring the boy's face.  
"Oscar…?" Ozpin questioned quietly, not wishing to overwhelm the child, knowing loud noises could startle waking people.  
Oscar opened his eyes, albeit painfully, making them open half-lidded, before he saw the boy gave up.  
"Oz…Ozpin?" He questioned throatily. "How're … Where's…?" He asked.  
"You are back at Vale, Salem has passed." Ozpin informed.  
Ozpin watched as the understanding flooded through the boy's face before his eyes teared up.  
"Ruby!" Oscar moaned. "She promised!" He cried, tears running down his face. "She promised!" He sobbed heart-wrenchingly pained.

Ozpin reacted fast. He hadn't understood what Qrow was meaning prior, about how the boy worked: in not seeing Ruby first meant he jumped to the worse conclusion.  
"Oscar," He said firmly, making the boy immediately look to him, devastation written over his face. "Miss Rose, is fine," Ozpin stated, and moved out the way, so Oscar could have a clear sight of the bed next to him.  
Oscar hissed in pain as he moved but stared at the person lying in the bed next to him. "Ruby…" He moaned out in pain, now more physical than emotional, he looked back to Ozpin, not moving his head again. "How…?" He asked tiredly.  
Ozpin shook his head. "Not now, Oscar. If you wish to help her, focus on your own recovery." He told him.  
"She's … Far away…" Oscar told him. Ozpin watched his nearest hand twitch.  
"I will speak to Briar about it." Ozpin told him.  
Oscar was unconscious before Ozpin even finished speaking.  
Seeing such, Ozpin pressed the call button to inform Briar he had woken.


	24. Part 5 – Chapter 24

_**A/N:**_ This might be the last chapter uploaded for a while since I start my pre-teaching rounds on Monday for the next four weeks, so if you don't hear from me in that time frame, it's not because I've miraculously died.

I don't know about you guys, but I shoved a lot of symbolism into this chapter, and I'm really excited to see if any pick it up.

Blooming, look! _BIRDS!_

/

* * *

/

 _When we are apart I still feel your heartbeat, it's faint but I hear it deep within. My doubts, they consume me: But you keep believing. Your heart inspires me to go on. I'm not alone: We're standing under the same sky above. Calling out to me, "wherever you are I know we'll never be that far apart". When you hear me calling out to you saying, "I'll always believe in you". No matter just how far we go, you're always in my heart. I'll fight for you, my one desire. No matter where we go or what we see, you'll always be here right next to me. In the darkness or the light, wherever we are: your heart will lead the way, my guiding star. Calling out to me, "wherever you are, know that you'll always be here in my heart". And our hearts are now intertwined, connected destinies we'll find. Wherever you go I have faith that my heart will always keep you safe. A thousand memories could fade, but you're still calling out my name. Even if I have lost my way. When I'm am lost_ _inside_ _my dreams I hear your voice right next to me it brings me back, it sets me free that's the power of the heart.  
— Tara St. Michel_

 _Other Music_  
 _Keala Settle — This is Me  
The Chainsmokers — Wake Up Alone (Fairlane Remix)_

Part 5 – Chapter 24

Qrow had rushed through the window, once Ozpin had the mind to pre-emptively open it for the bird to use, so he wouldn't smash into it since it was arguably a faster way to travel.  
He was faster than Ozpin had reckoned he would be in returning.  
Qrow had legit stood out for a second, for food. Since he had seen an opening to escape the room he feared causing machinery fault in, since the start, there had been several times when Ruby would randomly flatline. Ozpin didn't think the old bird could take another. He wasn't quite sure Ruby could either.  
So, naturally, the good news happened when Qrow was out.

"He woke!?" Qrow's immediate question was as soon as he could speak.  
Ozpin nodded. "He did, he wasn't for long, but he knows Miss Rose is alive." Ozpin informed him.  
Ozpin watched as if hearing that piece of information laid a weight off his shoulders.  
He knew the feeling.  
"Oscar noted they were far apart." Ozpin noted.  
Qrow then was able to chuckle. "Yeah, this is pretty far for them both." Qrow added in mirth.  
Ozpin looked contemplative. "Briar said she would need help in rearranging the room since the beds could be pushed together now." He said.  
Qrow nodded. "I'll help, as long as I'm away from Ruby's machines." He muttered.

"I also had a question," Ozpin started. Qrow cocked his head in puzzlement. Ozpin took up Oscar's arm as gently as he could, and aware of any pain he could cause by moving him.  
From the whiteness of the sheets contrasting against Oscar to the medical clothing he wore, the swirling scars along his one arm stood out like one giant silver map that swirled and curled around each other like giant ferns.

Qrow came in closer to understand what Ozpin's question was. He understood once he saw the scarring. "Oh, right, that," Qrow started awkwardly, seeing so, Ozpin rested Oscar's arm back to where the boy put it previously. "That happened when she was trying to understand her abilities, so she could use it freely. That happened when Oscar felt she had lost control and acted so we wouldn't get another Grimm Dragon Incident." Qrow told him.  
With the explanation, Ozpin gave out a thoughtful vocalisation and now could understand why the last time he had seen the child, the entire arm was bandaged up.

Ozpin sided his head, as a thought past. "…Didn't you go and get food?" He questioned.  
Qrow stalled and his eyes went wide before he cursed and dashed out the door.  
There was, presumably, a bag full of groceries somewhere outside wherever Qrow had been when his Scroll had decided to message him.

./.

There was a knock at the door, and Ozpin looked to the door and went over to it when it didn't open.  
He was surprised when Yang was standing there and not Briar.  
"Miss Xiao Long?" He questions curiously, there was still a ban on her admittance, that the girl adhered to, since she could understand, and directed her efforts in keeping her sister safe by joining patrols in both Safe Zones alongside her peers.  
"Hey, Professor Ozpin…?" She started.  
Ozpin frowned at her tone. "Is something wrong?" He questioned.  
Yang gave a half shrug. "Um. My dad's here…" She started.  
Ah. There it is. The reason for the apprehensive tone.  
Ozpin nodded and left his cane in Oscar's sight, should the boy wake before he got back, and his tablet on his chair. "Lead the way, Miss Xiao Long." He told her.  
Yang nervously nodded and led the way to where her father was allowed.

Ozpin could understand Tai would be angry, at himself and at Qrow for what happened to Ruby. It technically was Ozpin's fault for allowing her to go on the mission that inevitably allowed his daughter to come to harm. And it fell to Qrow for not protecting her, on that mission. Even if Tai was a Huntsmen, he was a father first in these types of things.  
Coming into the communal, there was Blake and Weiss, standing nervously off to the side, along with Tai who was standing with his arms crossed, waiting for him.  
This wasn't about to end well, Ozpin didn't need magic to understand that.  
He watched as Yang went off to the side to stand next to Blake and Weiss, she was looking back and forth between the two men anxiously.

"Ozpin." Tai started.  
All three girls eyed him nervously for his reaction.  
"Taiyang," Ozpin greeted, hoping that Qrow would take forever on retrieving that bag of his.  
Seeing Tai's scowl, nothing was about to end well. And with Tai animosity at Qrow, would only heighten Tai's emotions.  
"Were you the one who allowed Ruby to take on that mission?" Tai asked.  
Ozpin quickly threw a look at the rest of RWBY, when at least two of them were about to interject into the conversation. "Miss Rose made her choice, as a Huntress to take on the mission that took her into Beacon, while the mission ran off course, she initially chose to accept the mission." Ozpin told him calmly, in stark contrast to Tai's scowl.

"Did she know the mission was dangerous?" Tai asked, his tone irritated.  
Ozpin looked confused for a second. "All missions come with risk, she, as a _Huntress_ , knew this." Ozpin reiterated.  
They watched as Tai shook his head irritated still. "She's still a student, why allow her to take on such a mission that allowed her to get this hurt?" Tai asked, his tone now outraged.  
"There shouldn't have been a significant risk, had the mission not —" Ozpin started, stalling when he heard Tai growl.  
How similar this was to the Reinhart scenario made Ozpin mentally pale.

And it was just in time that Qrow entered, in confusion in hearing Tai, and now _seeing_ an irritated Tai now glaring at him.  
"And you allowed this to happen!" He yelled.  
Qrow stalled in rising puzzlement at what he just walked into.  
"Uh, what?" He asked, raising his hands in complete surrender.  
"Ruby! You were with her, weren't you?! When she got hurt?!" Tai demanded.  
Qrow flinched at that, because yes, he was, and he couldn't've done a damn thing more to protect her.

Tai looked back to Ozpin. "But, no, you let this happen." Tai scowled.  
Ozpin blinked then frowned.  
"Tai, there wasn't," Tai looked to Qrow with a glare. "There wasn't anymore we could have done." Qrow tried to insist, knowing now what was wrong, he tried to defuse the situation as much as he could.  
Tai glared. "You didn't do much." He said, making Qrow flinch and go mute in a second flat. Tai rounded back on Ozpin. "You could have been there. You could have done more! Instead, you and Qrow allowed her to be left alone and picked off!" Tai insisted.

Yang suddenly blew up, making her teammates stare at her in amazement that she was at that point her eyes went red.  
All three adults stared at her in amazement as well. Qrow being the only one who took a step back, in slight trepidation that anger was going to be directed at him since he could understand where Tai was coming from, it was his fault.  
But, Yang was glaring at her father. " _Enough_." She hissed her rage boiling, her attempt to control it long ago fizzled out. "Ruby is strong enough to handle herself! To handle _being left by herself_! In case you hadn't noticed she was made into our team leader!" Yang hissed. "And where's this _you should have done more_ bullshit coming from?! Qrow's been there the entire time! And _where exactly where you_?!" Yang asked angrily, all previous mishaps she had taken in her stride now coming to the surface uncontrollably, all those days spent looking after Ruby, all those days spent with Qrow.

Ozpin was now the awkward one, knowing this was now extremely personal.  
Tai was staring at his daughter. "You know where I've been. Ruby's never been—" Tai stalled.  
The air around Yang sizzled. " _She was missing an entire year_! And you did nothing! Qrow was the one who went to try and find her! Ozpin personally had her name watched in case she went on a mission! I know you knew about that, because I told you!" Yang yelled.  
By now Blake was physically holding her splinted ear in pain, Weiss looked as awkward as she could get since she never understood fathers, Qrow looked amazed he was being defended, while Ozpin was looking outwards to see the commotion they were all causing.  
Tai looked suddenly contrite.  
At the expression, Yang's anger died completely.

"No, no, you're right." Tai suddenly relented. "I haven't been there as much as I could have…" Tai started. "I know that she's a Huntress, but she still is my daughter, no matter how much time I've lost with her because of myself." Tai told her.  
Yang blinked at him in amazement that he finally came out and admitted it.  
They watched as Tai looked to Ozpin, who looked neutral, and to Qrow, who was looking back at him warily. "I apologise, I've overacted," Tai stalled to see Yang's incredulous expression. "A lot," He added.

Ozpin sighed tiredly, as Qrow looked on warily.  
"Am I allowed to see her at least?" Tai asked.  
"You will have to go through her nurse, first." Ozpin asked.  
"Yeah, even I'm not allowed inside." Yang puffed out in annoyance.

"The heck is all that racket?!" Briar's voice came in. "You lot are on bed rest!" Briar was yelling through the hall.  
Blake, Weiss and Yang quickly sat down, while other patients seemed to run for it before she caught them.  
"We're the guilty party, Briar!" Qrow called out to her, knowing they'd get done in sooner or later.  
Briar stormed over to them, immediately glaring at Blake and Yang. "And what are you two doing here?" She questioned.

Yang pointed to Blake's splinted ear. "That's hurting her still, I think she slept on it wrong," Ignoring Blake's glaring. "And this is mine and Ruby's dad." Yang stated.  
Briar glanced at the still contrite Tai.  
"You've come to visit Miss Rose, yes?" Briar asked.  
Tai nodded nervously.  
Briar gave out an impatient noise. "Fine. Five minutes and then you're gone, at least until she's better!" She yelled, making her way to the wardroom, with everyone rushing to keep up.

Briar saw everyone. "Two at a time, then I need you two back in here to help." She was pointing to both Ozpin and Qrow as she opened the door.  
Yang pointed to herself, her eyes lighting up hopefully. "Me too?!" She asked.  
Briar nodded. "Five minutes." She said, before looking back to Blake. "And you…" She trailed off.  
Ozpin went in first to collect his tablet, Yang immediately followed.  
"How have they been?" Yang asked, seeing both her sister and Oscar.  
Ozpin regarded her. "Miss Rose could be doing better, but Miss Briar counts the minutes between her coding, to see if she can tell if there is a pattern." Ozpin informed her.

Yang nodded, going pale. "Is…is there?" She asked nervously.  
"Not one she can find." Ozpin told her, Yang looked a little defeated at that, but there was a knock on the door.  
"You and uncle Qrow'll still keep me posted, yeah?" She asked nervously, as she walked towards the door.  
"Of course, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin told her.  
Yang beamed at that and headed out.

Ozpin was sitting down and needed to look up from his tablet when Tai finally walked in.  
Tai stood there and stared.  
"She is most fortunate that she is alive, Taiyang," Ozpin commented.  
"I know…" Tai started, then looked over to see Oscar in surprise. "He was hurt too?" He questioned.  
Ozpin looked up again and saw what Tai was referring to. "From my understanding, he was injured massively protecting her that he was presumed dead a few minutes at a time before they could get him stabilized." Ozpin summed up.  
Tai blinked in amazement. "Will he be alright?" He questioned curiously.

Ozpin nodded. "He will be fine now that he knows Miss Rose is still alive. His first active question was for her welfare." Ozpin stated.  
Tai looked amazed at that, before returning to being contrite. "I…probably don't have the right to ask, but could you keep me informed of her progress?" Tai asked.  
Ozpin sided his head, but he nodded. "Of course," He said, then heard the knock.  
Time was up.  
Tai breathed in relief, nodded, and left calmly.

Briar then walked in with Qrow.  
"Right. You said that we should push the beds together, yes?" Briar announced as she walked in.  
Both males nodded. "Just as long as it won't interfere with their recovery time." Qrow added.  
Briar just shrugged. "Between us all, these two are confusing everyone, and with now no open wounds, the risk of infection is lesser, as well, I am curious," Briar said as she walked to the other side of the wardroom. "Well! To do this, we need to remove the between bedside!" She started.  
And with that, somehow both Ozpin and Qrow were roped in to rearrange furniture, and push Oscar's bed towards Ruby, Briar determining he could handle the bed moving more than Ruby could.

Briar reapplied the breaks on the bed and let down the guardrail on either side of the facing beds, to stand back and watch.  
There was an immediate response from both children, in different ways: Oscar's immediate hand closest to Ruby twitched as if he knew he was closer, while Ruby's response was directly shown by her vitals, with an upwards blip that marked a milestone of her reaching a higher rank of her coma.  
They all looked to each other in amazement, before Briar grinned in triumph before she left to brag to her peers, leaving Qrow and Ozpin behind.

/

* * *

/

There were alarms going off near his ear that made him jump awake into his own pain that sleeping had affording him missing out on.  
"I thought you said she was getting better!?" Qrow's voice yelled over the noise.  
Oscar immediately tried to open his eyes, but seeing the bright lights beaming down on him, he closed them with a moan.  
"Yeah! And it's because of that! She's trying to quickly!" A female yelled.  
Oscar turned his head towards the noise. Alarms were normally a bad thing.  
Squinting through his eyelashes he saw that he was vastly closer to Ruby then he remembered whenever however long ago he woke up last was.  
Were the alarms for her…?  
Alarms were bad.

The hell kind of medications was he on that dulled his thinking, but still allowed pained through?  
Severely cheated.  
Oscar eyed the nurse working over Ruby he couldn't tell if her hair was blonde or brown, but the tips curled in on themselves before he decided to focus more on Ruby.  
She looked worse than that previous time she was in the hospital: there were more tubing and more machines that looked bigger and more menacingly towering over her.  
The nurse came to regard him, as if she knew he was awake, before going back to work on the machines.  
"Qrow!" She yelled, even though the alarms weren't sounded anymore. "Your boy is awake!" She added as she fiddled with a machine.

"Kid…?" Qrow's voice asked from his other side.  
Oscar made the slow and painful process of moving his head to look in the direction Qrow's voice came from.  
Just doing that had tired him out flat.  
"Hey there, kiddo," Qrow greeted.  
Oscar gave out a pained moan.  
Qrow looked up to Briar. "Should he be in that much pain?" He asked.  
She just cursed.

"Qrow? Alarm…? Ruby..." Oscar asked, trying to string a coherent thought together.  
For some reason, Qrow chuckled. "Yeah, kid, the alarms were from Ruby," Oscar stared at him. "She's fine though, trying to run before she can walk, more like it." Qrow told him placatingly.  
Oscar gave out a confused moan.  
"…Never mind kid." Qrow just ended up saying. "Ruby's fine." He added.  
Oscar nodded tiredly.

"Alright, then," Briar started and looked at Oscar. "Since your girl," Everyone ignored the confused whine Oscar gave at that. "—Is fine. You in pain?" Briar asked.  
Oscar nodded. "Everything hurts." He muttered.  
Suddenly his pain was washed away gently, bringing forth his tiredness.  
"Go back to sleep, she'll still be here." Qrow told him.  
Oscar was pretty sure he had no choice against that.

Qrow noted the adored look Briar had.  
"…Are you okay?" He asked.  
She looked giddy. "Know when they did that?" She questioned, pointing, and making Qrow look.  
Between then and probably when Oscar woke, had found and grasped her hand.  
Qrow stared. "These children are gonna be the death of me!" He grouched.

/

* * *

/

She was running.  
She didn't know if she was running away from something or running towards something.  
But either way, her emotions were battering her from all around her.  
Had she lost something?  
Why did she fear?  
What was holding her down?

She was surrounded by ribbons of red, and she stalled in fear, collapsing to her knees, and screamed.  
She couldn't get out.  
She couldn't escape.

" _Oscar…!"_

She got up and ran, away from the ribbons of red trying to claw at her.  
They kept trying to hold her down.  
Tear her apart.  
Spin her around.  
Drag her down.  
Each time they did, she felt she had just gone in circles, and found herself back at the start.

She felt her body freeze up when she was suddenly flooded with betrayer's light.  
The light she used.  
The light she promised she would never use.  
She screamed and ran.  
He was dead. He was dead. _He was dead_.  
All because of her.  
It was all her fault…!

" _What does he see in you?"_

She didn't know.  
She never knew.  
She collapsed to her knees, tears running down off her face and smashing into the pitch blackness below her.

" _What do you think he sees in you?"_

She screamed and tried to block out her ears with her hands.  
She curled into her legs.  
She didn't know!  
What was the point?!  
She couldn't find him! No matter how far she ran! He was gone!  
She laid down and closed her eyes  
Why couldn't she follow?!  
She wanted to find him!

Suddenly the floor around her opened up and she was floating, bathed in a warmth she knew. A warmth she hadn't felt in a long time.  
She watched as she floated downwards that the blackness turned into a sky tinged red and purple from a setting sun.  
Her fear was being washed away, chased away by the warmth.  
Her tears dried.  
She watched as a Silverbird flew over her head, twittering as it went flying around her, buffering her descent gently.  
She watched as the bird called out to a smaller red-breasted robin who flew around answering its call, alongside a fiery red long-feathered songbird that coming together seemed to help her land.

As she straightened out the birds flew around her.  
"None of that is needed, my little rose." A voice called.  
She immediately turned around and saw where the birds were flying to.  
A woman hooded in white, with a warm smile beckoned her with her arms that all three birds sat on: the Silverbird on one shoulder, the smaller robin and red songbird sharing space on the other.

She knew who it was.  
It wasn't before long that she was running into her mother's embrace and sobbing in relief she had found _someone_.  
The birds chirped as if trying to be helpful.  
"I lost him! He's gone! It's all gone!" She cried.  
The hooded figure was caressing her hair. "Oh, my love, those we love are never lost." She told her.

She gasped as a sob escaped her and she looked up with her mother's fingers at her chin.  
"Truly?" She asked.  
The mother nodded warming. "And they can always be found." She added.  
"But he…" She tried.  
"He is never far from your shadow, my love." She replied warmly.  
She blinked and looked at the shadow the setting sun was creating off towards the darkened starry sky.

"Follow your shadow, my love, and you will find him there waiting for you." She said warmly.  
She looked back to her tearfully. "He won't be mad at me?" She asked.  
Her mother gave out a warm chuckle. "My dear, I don't think he could ever be mad at you if he tried," She said warmly, then urged her onwards. "He'll always be waiting for you." She told her.  
She gave out a wet chuckle as her mother looked to the smaller robin and songbird. "Lead her the way home?" She asked.  
Both birds sang as they launched off her shoulder to fly around her white cloak, brushing past the Silverbird as they went. The Silverbird replied by ruffling its feathers so they started to glow, to guide them back once their task was done.

With the two birds and her shadow to help find her way, she left her mother's embrace and started to run towards the night stars.  
The twin birds sang happily as they glided around her, looking behind her, she could see the bright silver star the Silverbird turned into, ahead was her way back.  
Back to Oscar.

This time the darkness around her was warm, heating her body.  
She didn't know when, but she had started to smile as she ran towards the stars.  
Each step she took she felt lighter and warmer.  
Warmth like how she felt around Oscar.  
Oscar…!  
The twin birds sang happily, both now lighting up the sky to land in the stars she knew as his favourite.  
They and their sister would guide her home. Guide her back to him.

The shadow she was chasing merged with hers and she ran faster.  
She was close.  
She could feel him.  
Feel his warmth.  
He was there.  
He was close.  
So close she could feel him.

She knew it wasn't just the bird's song that was keeping the darkness from her.  
She knew it was him as well.  
He would be there, at the end of it all.  
He was never lost.  
She would always find him.  
He would always find her.

Ruby smiled as she looked up as she ran into the warmth of the light that surrounded her.  
"Oscar…!" She yelled happily.  
And she wouldn't have it any other way.


	25. Part 5 - Chapter 25

_**A/N:**_ For all the viewers that view this version on this site: please take the further note seriously.

While I thank those few individuals for their patience when I said I was taking a leave for a focus on my rounds that have finished, I also have a warning for those select view who have privately messaged me about this story in particular over the course of its life:

Whlie these comments have been either completely ignored or deleted, I am currently thinking of leaving this site altogether because of less traffic and reviews that are private and in a manner that wish that I find a cliff and jump off it because this story's main relationship is _hetero_ , so please know that if you've bypassed all the relationship warnings I've given that strictly says this is _**hetero as rosegarden cannon can get**_ and are one of those people who like to flame because you've clicked on a pairing you don't like: kindly fuck off and leave me and my story alone from the choices you've made that lead you here.

If you are not those who make weird ass and poor choices about which they read, you can find this story, its prequel and its future series that will not be published onto this site and already up on A03, whch you can find by searching my penname or this story's name in google or by the link in my profile: once this story has been confirmed finished, the rest will not be published here as I had hoped to do.

Thank you for your choices and I hope you understand this decision.

/

* * *

/

 _Lost in darkest blue, endless labyrinths weaving though: Will you stagger on, with no star to light your way? Share with me your tears, all your troubles and deepest fears. I remember when you chased all my shadows away: won't you take my hand? Come away with me from this land — Let me give to you all that you have given to me. Fly horizon bound, find the moon behind darkening clouds. Even far apart, know our souls together will be. When the storm draws nigh, dreams will shatter before your eyes: Know that you're not alone. When the battle starts, I will comfort your restless heart, you'll know that you are home. When your stars stop shining, endless vines around you winding: Know that you're not alone! I will give my all, so your tears will no longer fall down, down on sorrow's stone. Keep me in your heart, so we'll never be far apart, let the bonds of love break these chains imprisoning you. Always you will find shadows lingering close behind. Lift your spirits now, know we'll be together soon!  
— Kate Covington / Erutan_

 _Other Music  
Conor Maynard & Ebony Day — Next to You  
Megan Nicole, Alex Goot & Kurt Hugo Schneider — Stand by You_

Part 5 – Chapter 25

Ruby knew that when she woke up in parts that things were wrong. Nothing worked. She couldn't sense anything where she was. Her aura was shot to hell. Her eyes hurt like she had been staring without blinking for too long. Why was she asleep in the first place? What happened? …When did she go to sleep? When was that? When was _anything_? Everything felt wrong, she couldn't lift her eyelids, she couldn't hear anything, and she couldn't work her voice box.  
She doubted her limbs could move too.  
Where was Oscar?  
Where was _she_?

Panic surged up in her when nothing reacted to her will, and she still couldn't move.  
She couldn't call out for help.  
She wasn't floating like before, she was solid in her own body.  
But everything was revolting on her.

Ruby would have punched something, could she have moved her arm to do so.  
But panicking sure as hell wasn't getting her anywhere.  
Maybe if she just focused all her energy on opening her eyes, she could stare at someone until they recognised she needed help.  
And maybe tell her how she got stuck inside her own head, to begin with, because that was insane.

When she got home, or wherever home would ever be after this (as long as Oscar was there), she would damn well need a night light, because she was beginning to hate the darkness oppressing her.  
Why did she feel like she had a need to apologise to him?  
Screw not remembering shit.  
It was tiresome.

./.

Ruby wasn't sure how long it took, but she finally was able to open her eyes a little to see through her eyelashes.  
She didn't venture any further because she was directly under a light fitting that was on and blaring white light into her eyes.  
 _And_ _ow_ _did that_ _ **hurt**_.  
Ruby still couldn't move or do anything else. Opening her eyes was hard and tiring enough.  
But Oscar not being there…

 _She reformed at his side, kneeling next to him, and pulled him into her lap.  
Ruby stared at the blood that came pooling around him, onto her hands and soaking their clothes.  
"Oscar?" She questioned quietly.  
He didn't make a sound, he didn't make any movement.  
He wasn't breathing, and there was no familiar heartbeat beating for her anymore._

Blood. There had been blood.  
His blood. And no heartbeat.  
She had used her eyes.  
Was Salem gone? Was he…?  
She broke her promise.  
Ruby wasn't sure how, but she had the energy to cry.

Suddenly a machine near her blared, and she knew now she could hear.  
Her throat constricted painfully, around something, tubing?  
Hospital?

"Ruby!" A familiar voice called.  
Her vision was swimming and hazy due to the overflow of tears, and her body's attempt at sobbing, but she swore above her was Qrow.  
She couldn't call out to him, and she cried harder.  
"Oh, shit, kid!" Qrow was saying before he shouted over his own shoulder.

Gone.  
He was gone.  
She could have sworn…

 _"Oh, my love, those we love are never lost and they can always be found. Follow your shadow, my love, and you will find him there waiting for you. He'll always be waiting for you."_

Ruby wasn't about to question how she met her mother, and she certainly wasn't about to question how her mother knew Oscar wouldn't be dead.  
But she did kinda now want a pet bird. Or two. Maybe three.

Her body was trying to heave out whatever instrument was down her throat in panic, that she saw reflected on Qrow's face, he looked like he didn't exactly know what to do with his hands before he was shoved out the way by a familiar looking nurse who did know what to do.  
"Alright, dear, calm down a little, we'll sort you out," She was saying, as she fiddled with the machines by her and one hand went around to the back of her head to tip her a little. "Two blinks if you can understand me." She ordered.  
Ruby gave two blinks.  
"Three if you can't open your mouth." She continued.  
Ruby tried, really, she did, and blinked three times when her attempts failed.  
Alright, hold on dear," The nurse told her.  
Ruby watched out of the corner of her eye she could see the nurse opening a draw to pull something out, settling whatever it was, she had her other hand by Ruby's head, untying equipment Ruby no longer needed.

Ruby could barely see Qrow fiddling nervously over the nurse's shoulder.  
"Alright, dear, this might hurt, but do try not to stop breathing as I pull." She ordered  
Ruby had no idea what that meant but soon found out there actually was a tube down her throat, probably for what the nurse said it was for.  
It damn well hurt when she pulled!

Ruby could see the grimace on the nurse's face.  
"See? This is why everything goes to hell when a patient decides to wake up from a coma too early!" She was hissing.  
Suddenly her airways were clear, and she was coughing, as the nurse watched, holding her head when Ruby couldn't.  
Ruby gave out a high pitch whine and blinked in shock when she actually could do it.  
"Yeah, you can do that now. How's the land of the living treating you?" Nurse asked as she put her head back down on the pillow and grasped her watch to time the nearby machines. One weird looking one the tube was attached too looked as if it was turned off though.

She frowned, how was she meant to answer that?  
Ruby gave out a confused whine that she heard Qrow chuckle at.  
"If you can't tell, I'll certainly tell you," She started, and Ruby barely was able to perform a nod before exhaustion hit and she figured it was a good time to abort that. "Well, you're breathing on your own, which you haven't been able to do by yourself in about two weeks, so there's that. You're actually alive, if you needed to check that, by the way," She added, with a smile, and a glare at her. "Whatever you decided to do, I would suggest you never do it again." She ordered.  
Ruby didn't plan on it, that's for sure.

"Do you require anything?" She was asking.  
Oscar would be nice.  
But Ruby doubted that was what she was asking.  
" _Water_ …" Ruby was able to get out.  
A glass with a straw was held up to her, reducing the pain down her throat a lot.  
"Well, good, we've established you can talk, you recognise the man behind me who is trying to become a rocket ship?" She asked.  
Ruby giggled faintly at the look her uncle gave in appal. "Uncle Qrow," She whispered, not able to speak louder, even though she wanted to.  
The nurse looked as if Ruby had handed her a bucket load of money.  
"Okay, one more question, easy peasy," She was saying again.  
Ruby blinked at her in question, before her hands shot out and gently moved her so she could see to her left.

Ruby stared, as tears swelled again.  
Next to her was Oscar. An _alive_ Oscar.  
She ignored the, "Well, she recognises him," from the nurse.  
Ruby couldn't even murmur his name. But she stared.  
He looked like he was just sleeping, and he had way fewer machines on him then she did, one she noted happily noted his heartbeat.  
He had a heartbeat!  
(She ignored her own spiking for the time being).

She remembered she used her eyes and gave out a confused whine, and the nurse manhandled her again, and annoyingly, she was directed away from Oscar.  
She ignored Qrow's smirk for the time being.  
"He's been here just as long as you have, you've both had us up the walls since then, mind you." She stated. "But as you can see, he isn't dead as your last memory probably was of, due to the waterworks you gave out on seeing him." She added.

Ruby could now feel a little more of herself and noted she was holding hands, most likely with Oscar, since she couldn't actually check.  
The nurse looked to Qrow. "I'll go find people I know are lurking nearby." She told him.  
Qrow nodded. "Thanks, Briar." Qrow told her, she nodded and headed out.

"Hey, kiddo," Qrow greeted her with that familiar smile she automatically responded to. "Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear?" He asked.  
Ruby blinked tiredly. "Noted…" Ruby mumbled making her uncle chuckle and ruffle her hair gently, making sure not to disturb any of the other wires she was still hooked up to.  
"…Oscar…?" She asked tiredly.  
Qrow didn't even blink. "Can you worry about yourself first?" He asked.  
Ruby whined as she aborted shaking her head when her world went dizzy.

Qrow groaned.  
"He's woken up a few times while you were out of it, he's no longer bleeding, if that's your concern. He took a pretty hard hit to the ground, which bruised everything, there were some medical words thrown about by Briar that I understood not a word of, but he's partially fine. Won't be allowed to move for a while, but aside from that." Qrow told her.  
Ruby gave out a sigh of relief.  
He was fine.  
"How…?" She questioned.

Qrow shrugged. "You must have caught Salem," Ruby flinched at her name. "by surprise. Because you're fine, Oscar and Ozpin are fine, and she's gone for good." Qrow told her a little more gently.  
Ruby blinked in astonishment at that.  
Though it did make sense Salem had thought Ruby beneath her, so wouldn't have expected her to kill her.  
Ruby moved her head gently, so she could see Oscar.  
There was so much she needed to talk to him about, she actually gave out an anxious whine.  
"He's fine, Ruby," Qrow told her again, and she shook her head.  
That wasn't it.

"Ruby!" Yang's voice was yelling, frantic and in joy.  
Immediately Qrow vacated the area, and Ruby moved her head in time to see her whirlwind of a sister run into her room.  
Just seeing her sister rushing exhausted Ruby out. "Yang!" She cried.  
Yang was hugging her, minding all the wires and plugs.  
Ruby stared. Was she crying?!  
"Don't ever do that again!" Yang was crying.  
"Sis…" Ruby muttered, moving her free hand to latch onto her jacket.

Yang reared back, and regarded her, before looking back to Qrow, and Briar.  
"How is she?! She okay?!" Yang asked as if she was on borrowed time to ask questions.  
"She's a hell of a lot better than she was yesterday, that's for sure." Briar told her.  
Yang nodded but stayed close when she looked back to Ruby, who looked exhausted.  
"She has just resurfaced from a coma, she will be exhausted, and it will take her time to recover." Briar was saying.  
Both family members nodded when Ruby gave out a forceful yawn.  
"Sleep some more, sis, one of us will be here." Yang was commenting.  
Ruby nodded, as her eyelids fell.  
Oscar was still there, where her mother said he would be.  
…She should look into getting birds for pets.

/

* * *

/

Ruby couldn't do much, but what she could do was stare once she had her head looking to the left.  
Oscar was always there, yet always not.  
He hadn't woken, at least not when she was awake at least.  
No one had told her otherwise, and she kinda did doubt he would go back to sleep once he took a look at her to see she wasn't exactly in a coma anymore.  
But that was just her thinking.

Oscar, annoyingly wasn't attached to any alarm system like she was rigged up to previously. Her hearing could now pick up the alarm system two doors down.  
Briar had explained it was because Oscar wasn't as serious since he no longer randomly stopped breathing.  
That part had alarmed her and sent Qrow out of the wardroom in stitches when her heart rate spiked to match.

Ruby had homework. Well, was it considered homework if she wanted to do it, and get back to walking, or hell, moving her arms properly?  
She learnt by the second day of full consciousness that she was only allowed two visitors at once, and with her abrupt awakening, no one had cleared their mission status or teaching block.  
Yang, she had found out was on her break from her rounds from the rest of RWBY on the Beacon Safe Zone when she came in, while JNPR was patrolling Vale's. Her father (and Ozpin too, apparently?) were teaching at the schools.  
So, she had effectively not seen anyone, since patrols normally finished by the time visiting hours ended. She had recently gotten her Scroll back, and that thing had blown up with messages that she was still going through all the well wishes.

Briar had finally allowed her bed to be lifted a little so she wasn't always lying down, when she could she hadn't let Oscar's hand go, and even as unconscious as the boy was, hadn't allowed much time when he wasn't either holding her hand or wrist.  
She was trying to lift her hand onto the table when she heard a familiar vocal gasp of surprise coloured in fondness from her left side.  
Ruby immediately looked and saw Oscar was finally awake and staring at her much alike what she had been doing earlier.  
His expression was taken by his affection, and his wonderment in seeing her.  
"Oscar…" She breathed in amazement.  
His eyes were coloured in his fondness for her, showing more than usual with his state of wellbeing.  
"Ruby…" He whispered in awe.

They stared at each other, similar emotions running across their faces, neither knew the entire truth behind.  
Oscar immediately regretted moving to see her better when pain wracked his entire body from head to toe, from the muscles he used to even the ones he hadn't. He heard the panicked whine from Ruby and she moved about trying to find the call button.  
Oscar knew immediately moving wasn't about to be an option for him, not with his entire body in wretched tear-inducing pain from an inch of movement.

"Briar!" Ruby had attempted to yell outwards to the door.  
Oscar could assume Briar was a nurse.  
The one who ran in, most likely, and groaned seeing him. "What is with you Huntsmen and waking up prematurely?!" She yelled, not at them, but out the door, before looking back at Oscar. "I'm pretty sure telling you _not_ to move is already out the window since Rose here is freaking. There you go, Rose, you've moved the fastest since you got here!" Briar commented coming over to Oscar's bedside to add something through the machines.  
Ruby just grumbled while Oscar looked extremely confused through his exhaustion.

./.

Most of the time the two were too exhausted to do anything but sleep, but that didn't mean Ruby stayed still and edge closer when Oscar couldn't since she was the one who had better movement.  
Though she was majorly aware she could hurt him. Again.  
Her mother said he wouldn't be mad.  
So, she needed to hope he wouldn't be. At her. For what happened.  
…She didn't think she could take that. At all.

Ruby lifted her hand as if to run her fingers through his hair, then decided against it.  
…She should ask him first.  
"…Ruby?" Oscar suddenly questioned, opening his eyes making her jump in surprise.  
He blinked at her reaction. "Sorry, Oscar," She mumbled.  
Now Oscar was frowning at her. "You're apologising, why?" He asked in confusion.  
Ruby ended up shrugging. "…Don't want to hurt you…" She muttered.

Now Oscar was fully frowning, in what looked like annoyance.  
"Nope." He told her, then reached out for her hand that Ruby freaked out because he wasn't allowed to move.  
"Oscar!" She yelped in alarm but stalled completely at his expression.  
Nothing in her could stop him from taking her hand and trapping her hand against his cheek with his own.  
He stared at her. "See. You're not hurting me." He told her.

Ruby regarded him as if to see he wasn't lying.  
"…You sure?" She questioned.  
Ruby stalled when he gripped her hand tighter. "Yep. So, don't pull away, 'kay? That's what hurts." He told her truthfully.

Ruby stared at him.  
There he went again, saying those things.  
They were now accompanied by her stomach releasing those butterflies from wherever they were held when he wasn't saying things like that.  
But she was damn glad her heart monitor didn't give her away.

"I just… I need to talk to you…" Ruby told him.  
She stalled again when he nuzzled into her palm. "I sense a _but_ in there somewhere…" Oscar murmured.  
Ruby knew by now not to question how he did those things. "Might be best when we're kinda better?" She said.  
Oscar opened his eyes and looked at her. "I'll hold you to that." He told her.  
…Why did she get the feeling he would silently nag her until she did?  
Most likely because that was what he would do.

./.

He didn't let go of her hand.  
Not that Ruby minded, but she found herself in an awkward situation when Ozpin walked in.  
"Professor Ozpin!" She greeted nonetheless.  
Ozpin looked at her, with that neutral smile he normally greeted her with.  
"How are you, Miss Rose?" He questioned, noting that Oscar was asleep.  
"Better than what I woke up at, that's for sure." Ruby told him.  
Ozpin nodded as he sat down in one of the nearby chairs. "You must be somewhat confused." He asked her, allowing her to question.  
"…Just a little…?" Ruby said, with one shrug. "Like, I remember the Salem fight, and…" She looked to Oscar, who was still holding her hand, and his heart monitor said he was fine.  
Briar had shown her how to tell what was normal, and what wasn't when she wouldn't stop pestering her about it.

"I think it confuses us to," Qrow's voice came through, as he wandered into the room.  
"Uncle Qrow!" She called out, seeing him, flinching when she heard Oscar groan tiredly. "Sorry, Oscar," She added to him when she felt him stir.  
"…Ruby?" He questioned tiredly.  
"Sorry for waking you!" She apologised.  
He gripped her hand tighter as he tried to blink away sleep when he shook his head. "What's up?" He asked tiredly.  
"Hey, kiddo," Qrow greeted.  
Oscar looked past Ruby to see him. "Hey, Qrow, guessing Ozpin's there too? My senses are shot to hell." He said.  
"Indeed, how are you?" Ozpin asked him.

Ruby watched in amusement when Oscar pouted.  
"I'm not allowed to move." He said.  
This causes Ruby to laugh. "Which you've broken several times already!" She told him.  
"And here I thought we agreed to not tell anyone about that." Oscar groaned.  
Ruby laughed joyfully, making Oscar smile.

"Back to the point," Qrow started. "I assume we all have questions." He said as he sat down at the other available chair.  
"Yeah. A good one would be how is everyone still alive?" Oscar grumbled not ungratefully, but in confusion.  
Ruby gripped his hand and Oscar returned it.  
Ozpin regarded the two. "Perhaps you can tell us what happened." Ozpin asked.  
Ruby blinked a tad lost "…Where do we start?" She questioned, looking from Oscar back to Ozpin and Qrow.

Qrow sighed. "I'm not sure of anything after I went after Tyrian." Qrow said.  
"I can start there?" Ruby asked, assuming Qrow would have told Ozpin what he knew already.  
Both men nodded.  
Ruby shrugged. "For the most part Salem was after Oscar, and kinda used me to get to him." Ruby told.  
Oscar flinched, then hissed in annoyance under his breath words, most likely curses, that even Ruby didn't catch.

"And she didn't want to hurt Oscar, more like keep him, while everyone else didn't matter." Ruby elaborated, clutching Oscar's hand tighter as if she needed the reminder he was by her side.  
"Yeah, and then she separated us." Oscar added in a grumble.  
Ruby gave a hum. "Yeah, I didn't appreciate that either." She said.  
"Was she intent on your demise, Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked.  
Ruby blinked and nodded. "Yeah, she came after me personally," Both men looked surprised at that, but Oscar's skin crawled. "…That was when…" Ruby trailed off and looked at Oscar.  
Who was very much alive.  
And not bleeding out.

Briar came in, thankfully in Ruby's mind.  
"So!" She unknowingly interrupted.  
Both men stood up to receive her nonetheless.  
"Miss Briar," Ozpin greeted.  
Briar grinned and held up what looked like two separate documents. "Here's where I ask questions." She started.  
This confused both Ruby and Oscar, the latter shrugged and both turned back to the nurse.

"With civilians, they would be allowed to leave the hospital, technically go back to low maintenance work, but with your line of work…" Briar said.  
"What do you suggest?" Qrow asked curiously.  
Briar sided her head as she came to wander into the room to hand over the documents to Ozpin. "Hope to whatever deities that are left that they don't ever do what they did again?" Briar asked.  
Ozpin gave way to chuckling. "I can assure you that they won't be." He said.  
Briar nodded as he gave the folders back. "I would like them out of the woodworks until they can sustain themselves, you Huntsmen know how to tell that more than I do." Briar continued.

What she meant was when they could actively use their aura without thinking about it, in junction with their Semblance.  
Both men nodded. "That can work, how do you suggest they _stay out of the woodworks_?" Ozpin asked curiously noting the children's open expression.  
Briar looked thoughtful. "I wouldn't suggest both the Safe Zones since they are prone to Grimm attack, and they would most likely head to the front lines, regardless." Briar commented.  
Ruby huffed, but Oscar snorted knowing Briar was right on that account.  
"And they would need someone to watch them, a Huntsmen preferably so we know when they can take missions again." Briar added.  
Both men looked thoughtful. "Neither myself nor Taiyang will be able to." Ozpin said, giving a look to Qrow as if the old bird needed a reminder that school had resumed at both Signal and the areas they were using for Beacon, and he technically shouldn't be where he was.  
Who immediately understood. "Then it's up to me." He said woefully, making Ruby giggle.

Briar looked between the two, and Qrow nodded his compliance officially.  
"Okay, that's sorted out. Where can they recover since they don't need medical care anymore?" Briar asked.  
Ruby's hand short straight up. "I know!" She yelled happily.  
Qrow just groaned while Ozpin looked amused.  
Briar looked between them all. "…And that is where…?" She asked.  
Qrow gave her a look. "Patch." He said.  
Briar lit up immediately. "Excellent!" She said happily, then rounded on Oscar, who reared in surprise. "How much movement can you do without hurting yourself?" She asked.  
"Uh…" Oscar voiced. "More than what I woke up to?" He asked, making Ruby giggle.

Which, to say, still wasn't much. But he could do most things by himself, it only tired him out walking place to place for more than a few minutes at a time.  
To that, Oscar had nearly demanded he could do things himself, without people helping him, thanks very much.  
Briar had humoured him, and let him tire himself out because then he couldn't whine at her.  
And most questions she asked were extremely embarrassing, especially with Ruby _and_ Ozpin around.

"How long until you tire?" Briar asked, _tactfully_ this time.  
"Five minutes." Oscar told her.  
Briar regarded him. "Fine. That'll do. He's good," She eyed Qrow. "Don't let him wonder." She ordered.  
Both Oscar and Qrow looked offended.

/

* * *

/

Patch was, as normal, peaceful when they arrived.  
Ruby was able to make the trek by herself, but Oscar was up on Qrow's back since Ruby wasn't able to carry his weight currently.  
The only other annoyance the two had was that Qrow had taken Ruby's scythe away, all her ammo (he had to rummage through Oscar's clothing to find them all before Oscar was able to get those back from dry-cleaning), and Oscar's separated Ventus Silvis, which now was back to not even being a temporary weapon anymore.  
He needed to thank Pyrrha for retrieving it whenever he saw the girl next.

Seeing the house Ruby grew up in Qrow let Oscar down, knowing there was a couch nearby the boy could find if he needed to. Qrow would need to leave them alone for a second to retrieve their bags, but aside from that, he would have his eye on them.  
Oscar wasn't as familiar with Patch personally as Ozpin was. But the hut had changed into a house since Ozpin had recalled it. He looked at Ruby, who looked relieved to see her old home.  
"I wonder where Zwei is…" Ruby wondered.  
Oscar blinked at the sudden information that Zwei was a dog.  
"Why did you think it was a good idea to bring a dog into your Mountain Glenn mission?" Oscar asked curiously.  
Ruby stared at him before pouting. "It worked out in the end!" She insisted making Oscar laugh.

Both of them noted the glare Qrow had given them with the order to stay put.  
Ruby had noted Oscar's breathing had become laboured, so she immediately agreed to sitting on the couch and doing flat out nothing until her uncle returned.  
Oscar had no say in the matter, but he wasn't about to argue since his five minutes was up like an hour ago. He was still amazed he hadn't collapsed yet.  
"So…" Ruby started awkwardly coming to sit down next to him on the long couch as Zwei went over to his bed and curled up.  
Oscar looked at her in fond amusement. "So…?" He prompted.  
She gave out a nervous shrug. "…Ever been to Patch before…?" She asked.  
Oscar cocked his head at her but shook his head. "No, I haven't, I obviously know _about it_." He told her.  
Ozpin's memory of Patch was old and hazy at best, and much like the house, Oscar decided that Patch must have changed alongside it, and some memories were outdated that made his decision to her.

He watched as she lit up.  
"Does that mean I can show you around?!" She squealed in joy.  
Oscar blinked. "Sure. But you may have to wait a little bit until I can actually walk long enough without running out of breath!" He told her.  
Ruby giggled happily. "Or I could carry you!" She said.  
Oscar looked at her fondly. "Whichever first then." He told her.  
Ruby beamed at him, and he congratulated himself on putting that smile where it was.

Qrow came back later on with their stuff, still scolding Ruby that she wasn't allowed to touch Crescent Rose, loaded or not, while Qrow gave Oscar his weapon pieces back to him sadly.  
Ruby sidled up to him. "Can you repair it?" She questioned.  
Oscar weighed the two pieces up, and eyed the breakpoint thoughtfully, putting out of mind the weapon was now technically in three pieces. One of which was in the two pieces – the length of the staff where he had engraved the dust runes had snapped under the weight of the attack he blocked would need to be replaced entirely so the staff would go back to being in two pieces as it should, instead of three.

"The length needs to be replaced…" Oscar voiced, actually glad that the plating hadn't snapped where the two pieces met underneath it.  
Ruby gave out a thoughtful vocalisation. "Can you replace it?"  
Oscar looked at her and nodded. "I just need the right tree." He told her.  
Ruby grinned. "As soon as we can leave house arrest!" She promised.  
They both heard Qrow groan from the kitchen. "Why can't you guys just focus on getting better!" He yelled in woe.  
"What else do you expect us to do? Sleep all day?!" Ruby yelled.  
"…I really should throw my staff at him again." Oscar mumbled.  
Ruby giggled, if Qrow continued to be a pain, she'd help.

Ruby, judging that Oscar was alright to get back up, jumped up.  
"Come on!" She started holding out her hand. "I'll show you where we'll be sleeping!" Ruby told him.  
Oscar blinked but took her hand and ignored Qrow muttering something about Taiyang, and something that he wouldn't tell the man. Oscar took her hand and he let her lead the way upstairs.

Ruby came into a room that Oscar could gather was hers and Yang's room growing up based on the two beds and the colours they were dressed in.  
It also wasn't hard to guess the workstation with the fairy lights and the Grimm figurines were Ruby's as well.  
Oscar could already tell that his bags were placed alongside Ruby's at the door: whether that was Ruby's doing by glare, or Qrow giving up in trying to separate them Oscar didn't know, but he was grateful for it.

Ruby turned around and gestured with her arms at the room.  
"Well! Here we are!" She told him.  
Oscar chuckled fondly at her. "That we are." He replied.  
Ruby gestured to the chair at the workstation, Oscar got the hint and took a seat.  
"So, since we'll be here for however long it will take for Qrow to say we're fit," Ruby started grasping both their bags and yanking them. "I'd prefer not to live in our bags." She told him as she yanked their bags to the chest at the end of her bed.  
Oscar watched curiously as she lifted the trunk's lid and noted that it was actually empty of any of her belongings. "Where are…?" He asked.  
Ruby looked at him and pointing to her bag.  
Right. …She took everything with her to Beacon… and lost the majority in its Fall. Everything she had left was what she could carry: and she carried that to Mistral and back again. Twice.  
He wondered how many books she had left. Or how many of the ones in the bookshelves in the living room below were hers.

Oscar watched, knowing not to ask if she needed help, or to let her leave his stuff alone, as she unpacked both bags and folding clothes into the trunk. She didn't seem perturbed at adding his stuff right alongside hers, she just added his stuff right next to her clothing, categorizing things as she did hers.  
He watched as she paused at the differences in height between hers and his stuff.  
"…You don't have much…" Ruby muttered.  
Oscar cocked his head. "I think you forget that I'm actually a farmer, Ruby, and I'm used to not having a materialistic footprint." He told her.  
She was on her knees by the trunk and she moved to sit on the wooden floor as she looked up to him. "…It never bothered you?" She questioned.  
Oscar shrugged. "You can't miss what you've never had, Ruby." He told her.  
Ruby gave him a look because she knew that was a lie, they both had definitely missed what they never had.

Ruby had emptied the bags and shut the trunk to sit on it, looking towards Oscar, being cast in light from the setting sun.  
"…We better go see Qrow about food…" Ruby said.  
Oscar nodded and got up wobbly and which Ruby immediately caught his arm.  
She gave him a whine of concern that he smiled at. "No, I'm good." He placated.  
She still didn't let him go.  
He…kind of didn't want her to either.


	26. Part 5 - Chapter 26

_No limit in the sky that I won't fly for you no amount of tears in my eyes that I won't cry for you. With every breath that I_ _take_ _I want you to share that air with me. There's no promise that I won't keep: I'll climb a mountain, there's none too steep. When it comes to you let's take both of our souls and intertwine. When it comes to you don't be blind: watch me speak from my heart. Don't miss out on a love and regret yourself on it. Open up your mind, clear your head, ain't gotta wake up to an empty bed. Share my life, it's yours to keep: now that I give to you all of me.  
— Against the Current & Alex Goot_

 _Other music here  
Adriana Figueroa — Everything is Alright  
Adriana Figueroa — Home  
_  
Part 5 – Chapter 26

Patch was peaceful.  
It was almost as peaceful as his farm. Just that he wasn't allowed to get up with the sun or had any chores to do.  
…Was it a chore that he wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activities?  
By the week's end, Oscar was about to scream, and he was pretty sure Ruby had broken at least a dozen rules about not using her Semblance, and tuning Crescent Rose when Qrow wasn't looking.  
With that Oscar knew the girl was about ready to be mission ready.  
But he really did doubt she'd be "mission ready" until he was.  
He was taking a tad longer in the recovery section of things then she was.  
Not that Ruby had taken that against him.

But he was about to scream, at every time he saw her anxious expression when she got the nerve to talk to him about the "but" she had told him about before she lost it again. He couldn't corner her to talk about it, nor could he bait her with cookies this time around, seeing as baking was seen as an activity he wasn't allowed to yet.  
So, he would need to wait for her to get annoyed with herself and blurt it out.  
He'd give her another week before she blew up. He knew as well as she did that she hated bottling things up.

./.

She felt it bubbling underneath her skin, and she hated the feeling that she wasn't able to talk about it like she wanted to. There was so much she wanted to talk about, to him, but that all hindered on one question she needed to ask, needed his clarification on.  
But to ask him that, with the idea that the answer could be negative, and she was wrong made her stall each time she thought she was ready to ask.  
It wasn't a case of would he be mad if she asked. She believed her mother on that side of things.

But there was the whole maybe _yes,_ she _was right,_ that made her _wrong_ , that set everything else she wanted to talk to him about exploding into flames that made her stall.  
She grumbled to herself, frustrated that she wasn't able to talk to him. She had never had this problem before.  
It was _Oscar_! Most of the time, _he_ had the issue talking to _her_!

She must have been stomping in her frustrating because she found Oscar looking to her bewildered.  
"Sorry, Oscar, if I woke you." She told him.  
Oscar blinked at her and sat up, taking notice of her expression. "Are you okay?" He asked, seeing her pacing.  
Ruby continued to grumble before she put up her hands exasperated with herself. "Alright. I'm gonna try and get this out, and don't let me chicken out again." She told him as she stomped over to her bed and sat next to him.  
Oscar gave her a perplexed concerned look.

Ruby sighed as she fiddled with her fingers. "It's just… I need to ask…" Ruby stalled.  
Oscar regarded her fully in concern. "Can I help?" He asked.  
Ruby shook her head. "Just stay until I can get this out. It involves you." She told him.  
Oscar settled, and she had his full attention once he nodded at her.  
"It's just," She gave out an annoyed sigh. "Ugh. Why can't I…?" She looked annoyed at herself she couldn't even start to say what she wanted.

Oscar waited, she had told him so.  
He could gather this was the beginnings of the _but_ conversation.  
Whatever it was, it was rattling her hard enough that she couldn't find the words to express it.

Ruby looked at him with determination.  
"Alright. Okay. There's something I need to ask you about. Something _she_ said." Ruby started finally.  
Oscar blinked, and now her recent loss of words made sense.  
She quickly looked away with a stressed hiss.  
Oscar took her nearest hand with his own in a hope to ground her. "What was it?" He asked gently.  
He felt her fingers twitch in his hands, and her expression hadn't lifted, if anything, he hadn't helped.

He watched as she looked torn, before she looked back to him again, a frown marring her features.  
"You'll outlive me," She started in an outburst that startled him along with her words. "You'll outlive me, you'll continue to live once I'm not," She looked at him with a confused desperate expression. "Why are you…here. With me. Why me. _What do you see in me_." She asked.

Oscar felt his breathing stop the moment her words tumbled out.  
Wasn't he ever glad that Witch was dead. Elsewise he'd go after her again.

She was staring at him, needing an answer.  
"I think there's an order to answer that barrage of questions, and one thing you are missing that I could have sworn I told you about." Oscar started, his tone gentle, and he raced to keep her fingers in his when she realised she had raced a mile a minute to get her words out once they tumbled out.  
Oscar kept her eyes on him. "One, I won't live on after you, since that won't happen because, with Salem gone, the curse on Ozpin broke altogether, alongside magic — don't ask how Qrow can still become a crow, it just hurts my head — but if you were to come across the Maidens, they would be normal Huntress' now. Ozpin won't reincarnate into me, and when I die, I'll die as just me." Oscar told her.  
Ruby stared at him.

"Secondly, I'm by your side because it has always been _my choice_ , no one else's, it will continue to be our choice, because it's now no longer just mine, know that I will not willingly abandon you unless you so wish it." Oscar gave pause for that to sink in before continuing.  
"Why you? What do I see in you? I could spend an entire eternity for every reason, but I doubt we have that long and just settle on saying it's _because of you_ , and nothing else could tell me otherwise. It was _my own influence_ and not Ozpin's, not Qrow's, that I chose and went along with Qrow's order to have you protect me at the beginning, which slowly became protecting _each other_ and a friendship that traversed over two time-streams." Oscar continued.  
"It was _my choice_ to stand by your side, with my knowledge of what you could do to me regardless. I was pulled to you, in no other way anyone else had. None of that was because of anyone else." Oscar explained, holding her gaze as she started to tear up.

"And whatever _she_ had to say on the matter that caused your pain, to lock up your words…" Oscar trailed off because he wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling over the matter. But whatever it was, wasn't needed to be directed at Ruby, who wasn't at fault.  
Seeing the tears spill over, he reached up and wipe them away, before holding her cheek.  
"So, unless she said that, whatever she said was wrongful." Oscar told her.  
Ruby ended up nodding.  
Oscar regarded her. "And don't think that you could ever be beneath me in any way shape or form." Oscar stated, guessing slightly at what Salem had said.  
He could guess he was right somehow because she sobbed and nuzzled into his palm.

"'Kay…" She gasped out.  
He gazed at her fondly before bringing her closer to him, so he could rest their foreheads together. He nuzzled into hers to give her comfort as her tension released as she grasped his arms.  
Oscar regarded her as she cried, knowing she must have kept it to herself since she woke up, perhaps ever since Salem had spoken those words to her.

Her breathing finally returned to normal, and she was able to stop crying once she looked at him regarding her fondly.  
"…Can we go see my mother? Her gravestone isn't far." She questioned.  
Oscar blinked but nodded. "Sure. We'll have to see if I can walk there, though." Oscar reminded her.  
Ruby smiled. "If not, I'll carry you!" She insisted again.  
"…Don't let Qrow catch you, if you need to." Oscar muttered causing her to giggle.  
"Promise." She told him.

/

* * *

/

By the time that Oscar was able to walk between the bedroom and the downstairs kitchen was when Qrow allowed him outside since he could retain his breathing going up and down the stairs without passing out.  
It had only been another week, in which Ruby was trying hard to stay still by that point. The girl was used to being able to rush everywhere, being still for so long wasn't a norm for her. But Oscar felt honoured she was attempting it for him.

With Qrow saying so, Ruby immediately bounded outside.  
"Is she allowed to use her Semblance?" Oscar questioned curiously.  
Qrow looked to the open door. "She's able to maintain her aura, so I suppose so if it doesn't tire her." Qrow summed up, then eyed him. "And don't let her take that as permission to having you get dragged everywhere. If anything, she should use it if you come across Grimm to get the hell away." Qrow told him.  
Oscar just shrugged, they both knew that if Ruby wanted to, Oscar wouldn't tell her no.  
Qrow just grumbled at that and headed back into the kitchen where his Scroll worked best.

Oscar headed outside and stood next to Ruby, who was looking up at the sky peacefully.  
"Ruby?" He questioned, making her look to him.  
He smiled. "I know you could probably get us there faster, but I do kinda wanna see how long I can last before you need to help me." Oscar told her.  
Ruby grinned and nodded enthusiastically.  
There was nothing about not holding hands.

Oscar was incredibly proud that he was able to make it all the way without getting out of breath or becoming exhausted.  
Once they arrived, Ruby turned to him and hugged him. "You did it!" She applauded, not the only one proud he had made it by himself.  
Oscar chuckled, and hugged her back.  
"I'll be a second, 'kay?" She told him, he nodded, and she bounded off to talk to her mother.

As soon as she stood at the foot of the grave, Oscar noted the wind picking up, and the sudden birdsong wafting on the breeze that caused him to look around curiously since he hadn't heard the bird previously.  
He stalled when at the corner of his eye he noted the fiery red songbird flying to its owner's shoulder shrouded in contrasting white.  
He knew that hood, she met his gaze and smiled, and wound her hand around to place it on her heart and bowed, almost as if passing approval to him, or that he had passed some test.  
Oscar turned, and the glimpse faded, as did the birdsong that made him wonder if he had seen her at all.  
But he would take her grace.

Oscar turned back to Ruby. He would definitely take her approval on the matter if that was what she came to tell him because he wouldn't ever go far from her side.  
It wasn't long before Ruby turned back to him, smiling brightly and bounded back to him.  
"Okay, so assume I'm not crazy when I say I swear I legit kinda just maybe saw your mother." Oscar told her.  
Her eyes blew wide.  
"I remember how she looked, she had a bird with her, which was new, but it was definitely her." Oscar tried to explain.  
He stalled when she smiled. "I saw her too. She helped me find my way back." She told him warmly.  
Oscar sighed in relief. "Oh good. I'm not crazy." He said.  
Ruby laughed happily. "While we're out, I'll show you around!" She told him.  
He looked at her fondly. "You might have to carry me if we're out longer." He warned her.  
Ruby bounded on her feet, not perturbed by this at all as she took his hand and led the way.

Ruby showed him the port where they first arrived from Vale from. Oscar had quickly glimpsed it before they left.  
"Here we can buy things!" Ruby told him.  
With all the places she introduced him to, he noted she hadn't taken him into Signal Academy, where her father was most likely teaching, she took him as far as the shopping strip there but that was as far as she took him before going to roundabout way to the gardens.  
He wasn't about to ask her why, he was just glad he wasn't about to keel over with the walking pace she set, and the amount of detail she seemed to have on the buildings she chose to talk about.  
Aside from the Signal Academy gardens and nearby shops and its residential area, the port and its carts, Ruby noted the Hunter bar where Beacon posted its missions for hire if there were Hunts / Huntsmen available, provided that Beacon Tower was in function (which it wasn't).

Outside of that, Patch didn't offer much outside of its dense forest that sometimes Grimm crawled out of, but for the most part, kept to themselves. Oscar noted happily that he was only tired by the time they returned to the house by near sundown.  
Qrow regarded them both. "Good. You're not dead. Dinner's on." He told them gesturing to the kitchen, before collapsing onto the lounge causing Zwei to bark at him. "Yeah, yeah, fleabag." He grumbled tiredly.  
The two thought it best not to antagonise him further and left to go eat dinner.

./.

Both Ruby and Oscar woke to a crash somewhere downstairs, looking to each other, they bolted out of the room.  
"What happened!?" Ruby screeched as soon as she rushed down the stairs, Oscar not far behind her.  
Both stood dumbfounded when they saw Yang looking at them in surprise while holding Zwei.  
"Uh. Hey, guys! Totally nothing to worry about! Nope!" Yang persisted.  
Both Ruby and Oscar looked at each other. "Uh-huh, sure." Oscar muttered as Yang let Zwei down, seeing so Ruby rushed over to hug her sister.  
Oscar went in search of Qrow, who most likely was the reason something had smashed in the first place.  
"Hey, Qrow?" Oscar questioned, coming into the kitchen before he was suddenly taken by his shoulders, twirled around and shoved back into the living room.  
"Nope!" Qrow yelled as he slammed the door shut behind him.  
Oscar blinked. "Okay…then…" He said, perplexed.

Shrugging, he went to sit on the couch.  
Zwei seeing someone who could give him attention jumped into Oscar's lap to demand it.  
"How long can you stay?" Ruby was asking as Oscar gave in and starting pat Zwei.  
"Long enough to trounce you in Combat Forces." Yang crowed.  
"No way!" Ruby yelled, running over to the remote and switching the TV on. "We can so beat you!" She announced.  
Oscar blinked when Ruby shoved a Scroll into his hands, and the TV turned over to what looked like a game. "Uh, Ruby?" He called as the girl sat next to him while Yang yelled for her uncle.

Ruby looked at him. "Yes?" She asked.  
"What are we doing?" He asked, holding up the Scroll.  
"We're gonna play Combat Forces against Yang and Qrow." Ruby reiterated as Yang came back into the room with an unwilling Qrow.  
Oscar blinked in confusion. "…And we need to win?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded. "Kinda the ideal outcome there, kiddo." Qrow told him.  
"…I've never played before…" Oscar muttered much to Ruby's horror and Yang's howling laughter.  
"You're so dead, sis!" Yang yelled as she was teamed up with Qrow.

Ruby wasn't outraged about their sudden chances of losing increasing, but the fact Oscar had never played a video game before.  
She quickly snapped out of it and gave him a quick tutorial on how the game worked, and what buttons did what, until she was happy he had the hang of it.  
"You're going down!" Yang yelled.  
Ruby huffed. "You have the power of fire and brimstone on your side!" Ruby yelled back.  
It did seem that by the end of round four that even with Oscar's inexperience they won against Qrow and Yang.  
No one questioned how.

"So you do have an actual reason for being here, right?" Oscar asked as Ruby put away the Scrolls.  
Yang nodded. "Yep! I'm bringing the festival to you guys since you can't come to it!" She said brightly.  
Ruby came back over and sat next to Oscar feeling the same confusion written all over Oscar's face. "…Festival?" Ruby asked.  
"Well, we can't exactly celebrate the downfall outright, since no one outside us knew about that. But! We can still put on a show for the first year's induction, and the upper year's exams! It's an excellent cover." Yang insisted.  
Oscar cocked his head. "As long as Ozpin says its fine?" He questioned.  
Yang nodded. "Duh. It's how I'm here. The rest of RWBY is with JNPR fixing up the Vale's Zones for the celebration since they saw the dragon fade away, they want to celebrate that too." Yang informed.

Ruby looked to Oscar, who shrugged.  
"We don't need to dress up, do we?" Ruby suddenly whined.  
Yang burst out laughing. "No, sis, you can be spared this time 'round." Yang told her.  
Ruby sank against the couch in relief that Oscar chuckled at.  
Oscar looked back to Yang. "Where will most of the celebrations take place?" He asked curiously.  
"For Patch? We organised it to take place from Signal's gardens to the residential area around it, for tomorrow." Yang told them. "So…you'll be able to go?" She asked, exuberantly.

Oscar looked to Qrow, who just groaned, so he looked back to Ruby, both shrugged and turned back to Yang.  
"Sure!" Ruby told her.  
Yang squealed and launched herself to hug her sister, Oscar nudged himself over, so they wouldn't land onto him.  
"Take it easy, kiddo." Qrow told him.  
Oscar nodded, he knew the rules still applied to him since he wasn't cleared yet.

Since Ruby had been cleared back to mission readiness Qrow had let up on watching them knowing that Ruby policed Oscar better than he could, but that didn't mean he wasn't needed, since they were still children under age. Mission readiness, regardless.  
They all needed to have a good conversation about what they were going to do once Oscar was cleared, because Qrow knew not to have that conversation until then, knowing his niece would stall until then anyway.  
Qrow was curious as to what the boy wanted to do with his life now he really had nothing planned.  
Again, not something he could talk about until the boy was mission ready when Oscar could demonstrate how much ability he had in controlling his aura and Semblance.  
And he doubted he would willingly go too far from Ruby, not without reason, anyway.

"Hey, Qrow?" Oscar questioned as the girl moved off to talk about if Yang was staying the night.  
Qrow looked back him. "Yeah?" He prompted.  
"Am I alright to bake again?" Oscar asked.  
Qrow blinked. "You're not planning on a Hunt, are you?" He questioned, paling a little.  
Oscar shook his head. "No, just to give Ruby some tomorrow." Oscar told him.  
Qrow eyed him but eventually nodded. "Sure, as long as it's not a Hunt, and you don't decide to hide them all around the Festival grounds, you can make them." Qrow told him.  
Oscar nodded. "They'll stay in a box." He promised.  
Qrow waved him to the kitchen. "Place is yours, stuff is in the pantry." Qrow told him, walking towards the stairs, where the girls and fled up long ago.  
Oscar smiled at the peace he gained and shut the kitchen door on himself as he got started with finding everything he needed.  
They would serve as a peace treaty, should things go south the next day.

/

* * *

/

The day of the Festival was the only day Oscar could count as a day Ruby willingly woke before he did and shook him awake at dawn.  
"Come on! Come on!" Ruby urged trying to get him up.  
"Ruby…?" Oscar asked tiredly as he sat up, leaning against the pillows behind him. "They don't start 'til later." Oscar reminded.  
"But there'll be fireworks! We need to scope out the best place for it!" Ruby continued to urge.  
Oscar yawned and noted that Ruby had woken him up once she gotten dressed since she was putting her cloak over her head, and fetching Crescent Rose, which was given back to her previously.

She then sat down on the bed in excitement, bouncing it, Oscar raced to get purchase, so the girl wouldn't send him flying again.  
Ruby looked at him. "Do you think we can find wood for your staff at one of the stalls? Or do you want to walk around the woods?" She asked.  
Oscar tiredly understood how she could now safely bring the topic up since she had her scythe back, and she felt she could protect them both from harm.  
"The woods here should be fine, we just need to use the rest of the varnish we still have from Mistral." Oscar told her.

Ruby nodded. "…So…wanna do that until we can go to the festival?" She asked, twitching with the need to do something.  
Oscar gave out a chuckle. "We'll need a big enough knife." Oscar noted.  
"On it!" She yelled as she saluted then she exploded into rose petals and raced out the door, effectively allowing him to find his clothes and find the kettle while hopefully waking up before she returned.

./.

Wandering the woods had been as boring as usual.  
"Hey, Oscar?" Ruby questioned as they tried to find the right branch that would work.  
"What's wrong?" Oscar questioned.  
"Before, you said that magic was gone, yeah?" Ruby asked.  
Oscar nodded. "What of it?" He asked.  
Ruby stopped walking and looked at him. "Can I still light up my eyes?" She asked.  
Oscar cocked his head. "Your abilities are not bound to magic, Ruby. Though they may seem it, they are not. You'll still be able to send out bouts of light that the Grimm are still afraid of." Oscar told her.  
Ruby looked thoughtful. "…Can I still hurt you?" She continued to ask.  
Oscar nodded. "As you can hurt anyone else if your intent was such, Ruby. You don't need your eye abilities for that." Oscar reminded.

Ruby looked suddenly contrite. "Well, what about the Grimm, wasn't Salem controlling them?" She asked.  
Oscar turned his eyes from regarding a nearby tree. "Yes, she was controlling them, but they are their own natural force, they will continue to exist long after we're gone." Oscar told her, causing her to nod, then he pointed to a nearby tree. "That one should do." He told her.  
Ruby grinned seeing the branch in question and rushed up the tree to start cutting it down.

Felling took most of the morning, trying to figure out how to get back to her house took the rest.  
But one tall tree later, they were back on track, and back home in time for lunch.  
Ruby raced towards a window to slam open to gain entry.  
Everyone inside jumped a mile hearing the window slam open.  
"RUBY!" Weiss' voice yelled.  
"And here I actually forgot she could do that." Jaune muttered.  
Ruby reformed to let Oscar off her back along with the branch before she raced over to her angry teammate.  
"Weiss!" Ruby yelled, suddenly hugging the annoyed heiress. "When did you get here?! Why are you guys here?!" She asked, looking from her teammates to team JNPR.

Nora looked offended. "And here I thought we were friends." The girl pouted.  
Ren glanced at his girlfriend in scold. "Nora, I doubt that's what she meant." He told her.  
Nora raised her arms in surrender.  
Ruby gave off a whine at seeing them.

Yang was a step back watching it all unfold with a proud smile as Ruby interacted with more people, with more friends than the redhead had ever had while at Signal.  
While Ruby was pile-drived by Nora, Oscar walked over to Pyrrha.  
"Miss Nikos?" He asked, coming up to her and Jaune.  
Both looked at him curiously.  
"Hey, Oscar," Jaune greeted, causing the boy to smile. "What's up?" He added.  
"I wanted to thank you for picking up my weapon, even though it was broken." Oscar told Pyrrha.  
Pyrrha noted the branch in his arms. "I rightly assumed you'd be able to repair it." She told him warmly.

Oscar grinned and nodded. "Are you guys here for the festival, or did Miss Yang rope you into helping her in some way?" He asked, gesturing to both teams.  
Both shrugged. "A bit of both, really." Jaune said.  
"We get to enjoy the festival on our breaks, and Nora gets to set off fireworks." Pyrrha stated, a little warily at that last point.  
"Ah," Oscar noted. "A win-win then." Oscar laughed.  
Most knew that Ren wouldn't be getting an ounce of slack until all the fireworks were set off, _and, no, Nora, we can't set them all off at once,_ was repeated like an old record.

./.

Oscar put the branch out the way until such a time he could work on it, which would most likely be after the festival ended.  
He noted that both teams seemed to be regarding both him and Ruby suspiciously, which laid him out confused as to what they were whispering about, and why lien was a factor in them. But he paid it no mind, if he was meant to know, he'd find out.  
And hopefully, no glass would break courtesy of Qrow Branwen, who once seeing the nine children gathered at the home, had made himself scarce since.

"Oscar!" Ruby's voice called as she raced over to him and grasped his hand warmly. "Come on! Let's go! We still need to find a good spot for the fireworks! Jaune told me where they were firing them from!" She said in excitement.  
Oscar blinked and regarded her fondly. "Alright, alright. I'll pack something, so we don't need to buy a lot of things, I'll meet you at the door when I'm ready." He told her happily.  
Ruby saluted with a giggle and rushed out the room.  
Oscar ended up chuckling and dug out his backpack once more and headed downstairs to the kitchen for the cookies he had baked without her knowledge. He placed them in a container underneath the other snacks and bottles of drink before he found Ruby by the door waving her arm at him.

Ruby had rushed them over to the gardens that formed the Signal Academy grounds where the Festival was taking place.  
Oscar noted her thoughtful look. "Ruby…?" He questioned.  
She looked at him and smiled. "We need the best spot." She told him.  
Oscar cocked his head. "For the fireworks?" He asked and she nodded. "Wouldn't it be a distance away from where they're being shot from?" Oscar added, not that he had seen fireworks before, but he knew of them from Ozpin and the books he personally had back in Mistral.  
Ruby nodded. "Jaune said they'd be setting up the cannons on Signal's towers…" Ruby trailed off thoughtfully.  
Oscar waited for her decision as he looked around at the varying stalls they set up for the festival, ranging from baked goods, materialistic items, clothing and dust materials.  
So, a typical Festival.  
Just with the added fireworks and the added Huntsmen enforcements around the forest to make sure the Grimm didn't end people's day badly.

"Ah!" Ruby suddenly said, making Oscar look to her. "I got it! The beach! Would be perfect!" She told him.  
Oscar nodded along with her. "Okay. And they don't start until sundown. What shall we do in the meantime?" He asked, seeing the sun still up in the sky.  
Ruby grinned. "You're allowed some activity, yeah?" She asked.  
Oscar nodded, he was cleared the previous day.  
Ruby took his hand and started walking. "Then let's enjoy the festival!" She said with a laugh.

Oscar let her, seeing as the last festival she attended ended poorly, and he wasn't exactly sure how many she had actually been to.  
He hoped the conversation he wanted to lead up to wouldn't go sourly either.  
Ruby still had her pins in her hair, how they survived everything he wasn't sure, but he was rather proud they did. He could see the little green ribbons flying around as she ran around to each stall, and animatedly move when she talked the head off the man who ran the weapons stall.  
Oscar was rather glad she liked them as much as she did, and that they were useful.  
Though, he did need to drag her away from the games section in fear the civilians there would ban her when she won too many times but gave away each and every toy to children who hadn't been as lucky as she was with a gun. As much as it made Oscar swell with pride, he noted the civilians looking angry their games were being cheated on. And he wasn't about to have them get into a fight, because he knew Ruby would go to town on all of them for their behaviour.

"So…!" Ruby said joyfully as she plopped down on a low wall in the gardens. "You're having fun?" She asked curiously.  
Oscar chuckled as he rested his bag against the wall where he sat. "Technically my first, so its pretty fun!" He told her.  
Ruby looked at him abhorrently. "How is it—?! Right. Farm." Ruby corrected herself making him laugh.  
"Farm." He echoed her as he laughed.  
He noted her pout when he fetched his bag, her expression changed when he offered her a drink.  
"Thanks!" She told him happily taking it from him.

"So, what's next?" Oscar asked after they ate.  
"Hmm…" Ruby voiced in thought. "We've done the games, and the stalls…" She added.  
Oscar nodded. "We have. What's next?" He asked.  
She looked at him. "There's the rides. If you like that kind of thing?" She questioned.  
Oscar shrugged. "Never been on rides, Ruby. I have no clue." He reminded her.

Ruby grinned as she shot off the wall and twirled around.  
"You'll love it! I'll take you to them!" She said joyfully.  
"As long as it's not Ozpin's idea of hurling children off a cliff _fun_ , I'll be good." Oscar told her.  
Ruby stalled before she laughed loudly. "Nothing like that!" She cried.  
Oscar grinned as he put things back in his bag and put it back on his back. "Ready when you are!" He told her.  
With that Ruby retook his hand and ran happily laughing.

The rides were for civilians, seeing as having an active aura and Huntsmen senses kinda made it look as if they were cheating. They also weren't allowed their own weapons, should the game require fake ones.  
But it didn't stop them from having fun or teaming up against each other or the civilians who wanted to try and take them down, regardless.  
Sometimes, depending on the age, Ruby let them win, and that they had conquered a "mighty Huntress" with their might, made Oscar laugh until he had to curl over and hold his stomach from a stitch as the children slayed her to the ground. She had children climbing all over her with their fake toys and weapons in their act to slay her.

She made all the right animated actions to entice the children into peels of joy and laughter that most children forgot the rules of the game they were playing and made up their own to take her down.  
But she didn't seem to mind the take-over. She wasn't in it for the prizes, she was there to make their fun louder.  
It was backed up that should she happen to win a prize, she'd give it to the nearest pouty child.  
Oscar found that everything she did to be endearing to him.  
They both helped children who needed adults when their parents weren't about to go into mazes or nightmare attractions. Neither were scared by them, but it was refreshing to find that children could be scared by such means that they didn't know that there had been much worse things to be afraid of.

They were able to finish the rides section closer to sunset.  
"Should we make our way to the beach?" Oscar asked her, having not forgotten that was where she wanted to end up for the fireworks display.  
Ruby who had been giving away her last toy to a child fondly looked up at him and nodded as she got back up. "Sure!" She told him happily. "We'll get there a little early, but that's fine." She added.  
Oscar nodded and took her hand. "Lead the way!" He told her warmly.

As they left the fairgrounds, towards the beach, there were fewer people. Bustling noise of the festival become quiet peaceful natural sounds from the waves crashing onto the beach. That for a while, both Oscar and Ruby stood there staring out at the waves and the sunset to enjoy the peace it brought them both.

The beach had one a one-way entry from the grounds of Signal that met the gardens to sandy beach, with a little wooden fencing that runs along the grass to where it met the rocky cliffs: There the beach continued underneath in the shadow of the school's buildings and towers. The beach itself was secluded and quiet, even if it was a stone throw away from most noise of Signal, the waves overtook it.

The spell broke and Ruby took a few steps and twirled around trying to find the better spot.  
Oscar let her go and watched fondly as she lit up thoughtfully.  
"Under the cliffs, maybe?" She was muttering as she looked towards the cliff.  
"It would be directly under the academy." Oscar put forth.  
Ruby nodded. "To the cliff it is!" She said and bounded a little off in the sand.  
Oscar happily walked after her.

Where the sandy beach met the cliff, there was enough sand between that and the ocean levels that didn't breach even in the higher tides.  
Ruby made sure she was directly under the shadow of Signal's highest tower before she plopped down in the sand.  
"Fireworks should start soon," Ruby noted seeing the sun nearly touching the ocean.  
Oscar hummed out thoughtfully as he sat next to her comfortably while he took his bag off and settled it near him. "The sunset is pretty." He mentioned.  
"Then the stars will be out!" Ruby added happily. "Could you teach me to find the Twins and the Elder sister from here?" She asked.  
Oscar grinned. "Sure. We might need to wait until after the fireworks, though." He told her.  
"I can wait for that!" She told him, making him nod.  
He'd show her.

"…Ruby, can I talk to you?" He asked.  
Ruby looked at him with a questioning frown. "Are…we not already?" She asked.  
Her response made him give out a small laugh before he shrugged. "Sorry? I wanted to ask you something…" Oscar started, and she moved around to give him her attention.  
"Sure, what is it?" She asked.  
"I haven't exactly been quiet about it, but I do need to ask you directly, since your opinion matters," Oscar started, looking to her, and seeing her confusion and her siding her head. "Just so we're clear, do you…actually, understand what I mean when I say I want to stay by your side? When I said I chose you? You've never reacted to my saying them." He questioned, nervous for her response.

Ruby blinked at him dumbfoundedly.  
He never really had been quiet. And because of that… she got used to it and had thought it was just how he was.  
…But he was only like that with her.  
She moved about to kneel in the sand to gaze at him, and he let her, letting his emotions show through his eyes.  
Did he get those butterfly feelings too? They were back. She still needed to talk to him about that.  
If so, where did that put them? What would change, really?  
Everyone already suspected they were a couple. Since they apparently did couple-y things already.  
Yang told her that couples shared beds. So … that wouldn't change.

Ruby gave out a sigh when her thoughts became overbearing, and she noted the nervous concern.  
"When I saw you go down after taking that hit," Ruby breathed, and Oscar regarded her. "All I thought about was that she had taken you away and that I wanted you back. I got so mad that I used my eyes that not only took her out but those who were tied to her." Ruby looked back to the sun.

"When darkness took me, all I could do is run, because I wanted to find you, I wanted to be at your side. Even when I met my mother, all I could ask for was you, to go to where you were, that you had been taken away and that I wanted you back." Ruby told him, looking back to him.  
"Initially I was afraid that you'd be angry with me for breaking our promise," Ruby watched as he urgently shook his head. He wasn't angry at her, and it made her smile.

"I did think it wouldn't be like you once I wasn't afraid. So, I think I understand what you mean when you say you want to be by my side, and why you chose me," She held his gaze. "Because I feel that too." She admitted.

Oscar stared at her.  
She felt the same?  
That was so far down his list of things he thought she would say, he hadn't come up with a response.  
"You do?" He ended up blurting out.  
Ruby giggled and nodded. "I do. I mean, we do act like a couple already, _and_ I kinda already kissed you." Ruby said.  
She watched as he turned incredulous. "Since when?! When did this happen!? Why don't I remember this?!" He near yelled, making her laugh. "Ruby!" He pouted. "No fair! I can't remember!" He told her, making her laugh harder.  
She stopped pretty fast when he surged forward to stop her by kissing her into silence.

Ruby blinked in amazement when he pulled back.  
"There! Now I can!" Oscar told her, smug in his tone.  
Ruby shook her head when she heard his tone. "Oscar!" She yelled before launching at him, causing him to fall backwards, she ignored his surprised exclamation as she towered over him, but she couldn't ignore the fondness in his expression as he looked up at her, mirth clinging to his smile.  
She couldn't help but giggle at him before claiming a kiss again.  
"There, and make sure you remember that one too." Ruby told him in his ear.  
"Uh-huh…" He voiced back faintly in a daze.

Ruby picked herself off him, to note his dazed expression with her nose scrunching up at him in adoration.  
She would legit kick anyone who said they were too young, not with what they had been through.  
Naturally, there would be age restrictions for most things, and he was younger then she was, _technically_.  
…Why did she get the feeling she would be using technicalities in their lives a lot?

She was brought out of her mind when she felt him caress her cheek. "I'm glad I didn't lose you." He muttered to her.  
Ruby gazed down at him. "I don't think you had anything to worry about there, I'll always find my way back to you." She told him.  
At her words, he suddenly moved and wrapped his arms around her bringing her back down on him, she barely had time to brace her arms in the sand around him, so she wouldn't crush him as she gave out a surprised yelp at his actions.

"Ruby…" He muttered softly into her hair.  
She looked to where he buried himself into her hair and nuzzled her nose into him.  
"I'm here," She told him, bringing up one hand to run her fingers through his hair. "Always. I promise." She added.  
She felt him nod. "Me too. I promise. Always." He replied, bringing up his head to lock his gaze with hers.

Whatever they were going to say, abruptly stopped when there was a loud bang above them that tore them apart to look up to see colour burst into the darkened sky to light it up. Both moved to sit up next to each other when they realised the fireworks had started.  
Circles of colours exploded out across the water, that reflected the colours marring the stars and lighting up the night.  
There were explosions of red, yellow, green and orange in fits of circles and sparkles that reflected in the waves below them as they shot off from the rooves of the academy above them.  
The waves crashing around them were dulled against the loud noise of the fireworks climbing up in the darkened sky to explode triumphantly in vibrant colours.

Both Ruby and Oscar ended up lying down, nearest hands clasped together as they watched the display explode in colours above them into the night sky.  
"Pretty…" Oscar heard Ruby said in awe in a quiet bout between fireworks.  
He agreed, but he felt she was prettier with the explosion of lights lighting up her expressions of awe.

The last load of fireworks went up with a bang and out with a sparkle.  
Ruby giggled. "Well, that's that." She said, gripping Oscar's hand a little more.  
"Hmm," Oscar agreed looking up at the slowly reappearing stars.  
"Oh, yeah!" Ruby said pointing up with her free hand. "Where are they?!" She questioned.  
Oscar chuckled as the haze of the fireworks died out, and the stars returned to their brightness. Before pointing outwards. "Found them!" He said.  
Ruby nearly squealed in gratitude being able to find the three stars that had helped her back to his side.

Ruby felt Oscar nuzzle into her shoulder when he came in closer as she looked up at the stars after a moment or two had passed.  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded. "I needed to thank them." She told him, looking from the stars to Oscar, only to be stunned silent when those three stars were reflected back to her from his eyes.  
"Did they lead you home?" He asked.  
Ruby nodded. "They lead me back to you." She told him.

Oscar smiled at her and lent forward to nuzzle his nose against hers. "Then I'm grateful to them." He muttered to her. "But, as much as I love them, we should probably head home." Oscar told her, feeling the chill in the air.  
Ruby nodded as she unwillingly retracted herself from his embrace and closeness to get up and hold her hand out to help him up.  
"Oh yeah!" Oscar said as if he remembered something as he picked his bag up.  
"What is it?" She questioned.  
"I forgot I made you cookies." Oscar told her.  
He ended up laughing at her indignant scream at how he could have forgotten them.

./.

They were the last pair to return back to her house, but they didn't exactly mind.  
Ruby had already eaten the batch of cookies and Oscar had promised to make her more.  
Oscar slammed the door shut with his foot and noted that Ruby was piledrived by her sister, who was squealing in joy, for whatever reason.  
"I told you!" Nora was yelling from by the staircase.  
Why was lien being tossed around?  
"I am not telling your father!" Qrow was yelling from the kitchen door.  
Oscar groaned when he realised that they had been betting on them.  
"Nope." He muttered.

He wanted no part in that. He made sure that Ruby wasn't being smothered by Yang, they were actually fine, and giggling, while Weiss and Blake were by a disapproving Pyrrha and Ren, and Jaune who had his hands up in surrender when he noticed Oscar looking at him apologetically.  
Oscar could guess who and where it started, and it rhymed with Nora Valkyrie.  
She looked like she had gotten the most return for her bet anyway.

./.

* * *

./.

There was a large group conversation that involved both teams RWBY and JNPR about where they went from there, since their previous standing of not returning to school because of Salem, didn't stand anymore.  
With how long it had taken everything, officially RWBY and JNPR would be finishing up their third year at Beacon, should nothing had gone wrong. Qrow tossed around that that with their current ability they were beyond their third-year peers. They would need to talk to Ozpin about it in either case.  
The fourth year at Beacon was pretty much what they were doing already, with only some class time for report writing.  
If so, it would mean that Ruby would be the youngest to graduate in any case. Ruby still grumbled at that because she knew the world wasn't as kind against "children" taking on Hunts.

But the major question was what Oscar would be doing with himself that concerned Ruby the most. While she consented to return to school, she doubted the rules could bend for Oscar.  
And Oscar knew this more than anyone else. And he knew that to have a life that would coincide with Ruby as much as possible: he needed to be an official Huntsmen. Something of which his age hindered at. No technicality would help him there.

"…Ruby…?" Oscar questioned knocking on her door, before pushing it open.  
"Hey, Oscar." She greeted warmly from her workstation.  
Seeing her, he walked over to her and sat on the nearby chest. "Are you okay?" He asked, seeing that she was working on something.  
She turned to him and regarded him. "Can I ask you something?" She asked.

Oscar blinked but nodded. "Sure. Is it about what we talked about this morning?" He prompted.  
Ruby nodded. "What do you want to do now?" She continued to ask.  
Oscar looked thoughtful. "Well, I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to stay with you." He reminded. It caused Ruby to frown in confusion because she wasn't able to see how he would be able to. "To do that, I will officially need to go through the schools to be a Huntsmen, even if technically I already am, my age is a factor." Oscar told her.  
There was that technicality again.

Ruby understood that. "So, where will you start?" She questioned.  
He gave her a look. "Signal, naturally." He told her in mirth.  
He would need to go through the years at Signal that corresponded to his age, then onto Beacon. Sure, it would be annoying, and it would take a long time, but he'd be able to stand by her side without ridicule or cause of her embarrassment from others who didn't understand.

Ruby sided her head. "You can't just do a performance test?" She asked.  
Oscar gave her a chuckle. "I remember making that test, Ruby. It would be called cheating." Oscar reminded.  
"Oh, right. Yeah…" She muttered awkwardly.

Oscar gave a sigh and rubbed his neck in uncertainty. "It'll take a few years, because I'm still younger than you until I leave Beacon, will you…?" Oscar trailed off.  
He would start Beacon when he turned eighteen since he knew Ruby's experience starting younger, as well as Ozpin's thoughts about that to make his conclusion to keep to the age limit. That was five years, give or take.  
Ruby sighed. "There's nothing to say I can't visit you, right?" She asked.  
Oscar shook his head vehemently. "You might have some difficulty at Signal, but I doubt Ozpin would mind." Oscar shrugged.

Ruby grinned and took his hands. "We'll work around it!" She insisted.  
Oscar smiled back at her before leaning forward to nuzzle his nose into hers. "As long as you're alright in waiting." Oscar murmured to her.  
Ruby glared at him. "Five years doesn't seem a lot when you know they couldn't have happened in the first place." Ruby scolded.  
Oscar gave out a chuckle.  
How right she was.

/

* * *

/

There was a time where Beacon students watched as Beacon tower was rebuilt during their semester. It was a time where both RWBY and JNPR had returned and were giving a progression test to see where their skills set lay.  
In time, the tower would be fully rebuilt, at such a time the school could officially be reopened to use its classrooms in its entirety and not out of makeshift halls for its students.  
There was some debate whether or not when the CCT was rebuilt in the tower if it would actually work since communication with Atlas and Vacuo was still iffy at best. Mistral was fine for the time being because it was still being run by Glynda.  
There was also debate over whether or not dust would run out in Vale due to the embargo, which limited the amount students could use and limited their missions to students who didn't rely much on dust or ammo.

There was a time during the semester break that Oscar went back to Mistral to find his aunt, who cried in despair fearing he had died in the year she hadn't seen him.  
She did fawn over Ruby when she met her and scolded Oscar for keeping her a secret.  
Neither teens told her how true she had been at that point since neither had told her about that time Ruby had stayed at his farm.  
His aunt made her promise to take care of him, and Oscar got indignant at that, but Ruby had laughed saying he was protecting her.  
Oscar hadn't known what to say to that.

./.

Ruby had found that Qrow needed an endless supply of alcohol because he was the only one to be a guardian at the time to enrol Oscar in to Signal, and _"no, kid, you can't do that."_ was said until the record player broke in response to most things Oscar asked about, ranging from if he could freeze his peers to his professors (after "accidentally" knocking them into the air) to why he needed certain classes when he got annoyed they were being taught wrongly or incorrectly.  
Ruby heard from her father that her boyfriend was causing him hell on more than one occasion that she praised Oscar for whenever she saw him next. All Tai wanted to do was teach without Oscar interrupting him based on facts he knew and no one else knew of. It was because Tai finally was told about how Oscar was a little shit about most things that the boy wasn't sent to detention. Tai did, eventually, find the off-switch when he threatened to bar Ruby's visitation rights since Oscar knew, should she be barred she'd find…alternative ways to still come and visit.

./.

There was definitely a time when Ruby stormed into Ozpin's office in such a force that Ozpin feared the reason, and would fear the reasons afterwards whenever she (Or Oscar, for that matter) decided to burst down his door without the other.  
It had been Oscar's turn to come to Vale on his semester break, and he had told her when he would arrive. But that had been five hours ago, and Ruby was packing it in a panic because she had no way of contacting him.

Ozpin hadn't exactly known why the girl thought he would be able to locate him, but he assumed she knew that on some level, and needed someone to talk to that knew her.  
Not many words could calm her down, but the ascertain that Oscar would return when he could, and perhaps he had been held up somewhere that caused him to miss the boat crossing.  
Ruby was determined to sit at the docks at that suggestion, and determined to get her boy a damn Scroll.

It was why when Oscar finally did get into Vale several hours later then he said he would that Ruby chucked a Scroll at his head, with panicked tears in her eyes.  
She didn't let him go for a long time afterwards. Not that Oscar minded. He did get a pillow thrown at him when he had the gall to ask how a Scroll worked since it was _technically_ his first time owning one.

./.

There came a time that when teams RWBY and JNPR were going about their fourth year that the CCT tower was rebuilt, and nothing happened to boost Scroll communications, thanks to something on the Atlas end.  
But it did mean all of Beacon's students could return to their classes and the dismantling of the makeshift halls they had been using, it meant that with the influx of Huntsmen that both safe zones were no longer needed when they cleared out the residential area for the civilians to move back into.

Ruby, to her surprise, had been able to retrace her steps back to her old dorm room she had shared with her team before the Fall, and found it still unlockable with her Scroll, upon entering the room it was like none of the girls had never left.  
Her bed was unmade, from some reason her mind couldn't recall at all, the bunk beds were still as unstable as they were when they made them (seriously, how did they ever think they were safe?!)  
It brought back memories of a time when things were unprecedented to chaos, but a time when she hadn't known the peace she knew now because she knew Oscar.  
Ruby went through every nook and cranny and was praising her younger self for hoarding dust when in now a time they were scarce, or so high priced that no one could afford them.  
…They really should do something about that embargo.

And with the loud ding her Scroll gave out to inform her about the information forwarded to her Scroll, it seemed that was just the thing her last fourth-year mission could be about.  
And there was no way in hell she wasn't about to bring Oscar along with her for the ride if it was.  
She looked up at the completed tower and grinned.  
Atlas, here they come.

./.

 _Our path's they did cross, though I cannot say just why:  
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.  
And who'll hear the echoes of the stories never told?  
Let them ring out loud 'till they unfold._

 _In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me:_  
 _I still believe you can call out my name._  
 _See the birds as it flies by, gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky._  
 _I've laid_ _my memories and dreams upon those wings:  
leave them now and see what tomorrow brings._

 _If I should leave this lonely world behind:_  
 _your voice will still remember our melody._  
 _Now I know we'll carry on, for as long as we remember._  
 _— Melodies of Life_  
 _Emiko Shiratori_

 _/_

* * *

 _/_

 _ **A/N:** Please see previous chapter's A/N for regards to how to access this stories prequel and upcoming sequel on A03._


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